I heard the Jackal call my name
by Liquid Ink
Summary: "I need something bigger." - well be careful what you ask for, because you might just get it and then some. A random story of where Alucard gets his guns from and maybe a friend? (I suck at summary - just read it please.) Please note that the rating has changed: partly cloudy with a chance of violence and bad language with much more to follow.
1. Prelude

I heard the Jackal call my name.

Disclaimer: Hellsing isn't mine, all the mistakes are. Unfortunately I haven't seen all the series so this will be a blend of anime and manga. Please excuse any glaring errors. Opinions of all shapes and sizes are most welcome - thank you.

Prelude

She had been writing to him for years. Short little notes describing ammunition size and components, all typed in approved font and stamped by the Hellsing Munitions Board. She had no illusions that her notes were being read.

*Best care scenario, he probably tosses them straight to the rubbish.* she thought as she absently bit the end of her pen.

*Worse case, do the undead use the bathroom?*

But this time, the note wasn't a note. It was a letter of the utmost importance and it would probably cost her, at the very least her job, even possibly her liberty. But price was worth paying if it meant doing the right thing.

She balled up the draft copy and threw it into the fire where it was consumed in a brittle flare of heat. Pulling out her formal stationary, she uncapped her pen and began to write:

 _"Dear Gun Owner,_

 _Since no one has seen fit to grace me with your name, I trust the above salutation will suffice. From the delivery method, I'm sure you can gather that I shouldn't be doing this, but I cannot remain silent any longer."_

She wrote for nearly twenty minutes, finishing with her signature. Leaning back in her chair, she once again thought of how she was going to smuggle the letter in. The lining of the wooden gun box was a safe bet - but her fear was that the box would meet the same fate as her notes. And her warning would go unheard.

"Oh bugger it!" she exclaimed out loud.

Rummaging around her desk, she finally came up with a hatpin that looked less than sanitary. Grimacing, she jabbed it at a random finger and then held same finger over the bottom of her page. She squeezed a little, to make sure that there were several crimson splodges on the paper and then stuck her wounded digit in her mouth.

*If that doesn't get his attention* she thought, *he deserves to get his head chopped off.*


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer:

The characters from Hellsing do not belong to me, and I'm making nothing off of this scribble except a deep creative satisfaction. Opinions and feedback of all kind will be welcomed.

Chapter One:

Sir Integra looked over the report that had landed on her desk that morning and sighed. She had hoped that muscle bound Vatican fool had left the country, but her prayers weren't being answered today.

Anderson was still slinking around Ireland, looking for vampires, causing trouble.

She leaned back into her chair, took her glasses off and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Is there any way we can get rid of him before Alucard finds out that he's still here?" she asked to the seemingly empty room.

"Unfortunately not." came the clipped reply.

Walter stepped out of the shadows, holding a tea tray. He deposited it on Integra's desk and stepped back, looking down at the woman who kept the kingdom safe.

"He already knows and if he wasn't still waiting for a replacement Joshua, he'd be all over you, trying to get you to let him out of the castle."

"What happened to his gun?" she asked, as she sipped from her teacup. "I didn't think anything could break that thing."

"It seems that in the skirmish, one of Anderson's blades caught the slide mechanism and grooved it quite badly. The movement is no longer smooth, and so he requested a replacement."

Integra smirked as she drank her tea. Only Walter would refer to that messy clash as a skirmish. He sounded so offended too. As the warm liquid soothed her headache, she considered the fact that this was the second weapon that Alucard had requisitioned in the last eighteen months.

"Perhaps our enemies are getting stronger Walter" she sighed. "They seem harder to kill."

"Or perhaps our resident killer is getting bored and so takes more and more risks." he replied tartly.

"You see right through me don't you?" drawled Alucard as he materialised through the study wall.

Walter looked down his nose at him and then retrieved the tray with an offended sniff.

"I'll go see what's keeping the amoury delivery." he said as he left the room.

"I don't suppose I could persuade you to leave Anderson alone?" asked Integra as she opened a draw and took out her cigars.

Alucard watched silently as she selected one, clipped the end and then and materialised a lighter from nowhere. Integra raised an eyebrow, leaned in and allowed the flame to wash over her cigar. Once lit, she leaned back and blew a cloud of fragrant smoke towards the ceiling.

"You haven't answered my question Alucard."

"Now why would I want to leave Anderson alone? When he can be such fun."

"Your fun is drawing unwanted attention to this organisation." she snapped. "We cannot take the risk that the public finds out about us."

"The public is too self absorbed to care." he retorted. "Wrapped up in their own little worlds, they don't believe that creatures like me even exist."

"Never the less," she insisted. "We need to take a little more care. We cannot afford to let innocent bystanders get caught in the crossfire."

Alucard opened his mouth, about to make some flippant remark when Walter stepped back into the room.

"Your weapon will be delivered tomorrow Alucard, along with some new ammunition."

"Till tomorrow then." he intoned and sank through the floor before Integra could say anything else.

Both humans watched him leave and then Walter turned his head and said:

"I've bought Anderson 24 hours, I don't suppose you could persuade the Vatican to call him home?"

"I can try Walter." she sighed. "I can try."

Alucard blurred into existence on his chair, deep underneath the Hellsing castle. His lips twisted in a smirk as he replayed the conversation. As always, Walter was never far off the mark. He was bored, in a way that even his beloved master couldn't comprehend. It was so easy, killing the freaks that they sent him after. That was the reason that he had requested a weapon in the first place.

Had he wanted to, he could decimate his enemy by sheer force alone. But there was no fun in that, no risk. At least with a gun, he could make the killing last a little longer, make eternity just a little more interesting.

He had blamed his decision to offer Victoria undead life on boredom, but deep down he knew that wasn't the truth. He hadn't had a fledgling for years, centuries even. So what prompted him to make one little police girl into a vampire?

Perhaps it was a very human need to have someone around that depended on him, looked up to him, instead of looking down on him. But it wouldn't last – it never did.

She may have refused his blood in Ireland but eventually she would take it. She would separate herself from him and become a full vampire in her own right.

Oh, loyalty to the Hellsing organisation may keep her there, but the bond between fledgling and master would end. It was inevitable, and then he would be alone again, just kept for his ability to kill. His promises to Integra ensured his unswerving loyalty, but it was always going to be one sided.

"Alucard." he laughed in the darkness. "You sentimental old fool."


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Still don't own the Hellsing characters, but Joshua and Jane are mine.

I'm changing the timeline a little, please don't lynch me. All opinions are welcome.

Chapter Two:

Hellsing Munitions Factory, somewhere in England.

"This is the second one in eighteen months!"

"It's not your problem Jane, leave it alone."

"We cannot let the man run around doing whatever he does to whoever he does it to, with a weapon that's no longer viable!"

"That's ridiculous, he's not a man!"

The heated voices echoed around the firing range, and anyone within earshot beat a hasty retreat. The Smith siblings were at it again and soon money was changing hands, odds on how long it would take before Jane smacked her brother Joshua in the mouth.

A solid sound of knuckles connecting with jaw announced the winning time of three minutes or less and the victors rapidly left the area with their winnings. If Jane found out they were betting on her short fuse, they might find themselves at the end of the ammunition testing bay.

Jane's eyes widened to match Joshua's as she realised what she had done. Then she quickly yanked her handkerchief out of a pocket and reached up to dab at the small bloody spot she had created on her brothers lip.

"I'm sorry." she said quietly, standing on tip toes to reach.

"I know" he mumbled.

Joshua let his sister minister to the wound she had inflicted, inwardly smiling. It didn't really hurt and she had done far worse things to him in the past. It was inevitable that the two of them would clash. Just because he was older (by three minutes), didn't protect him from her quicksilver temper.

"You really have to let this go Jane." he said, sitting down on the floor so she could reach him with ease. "You're already on your second reprimand. One more and out you go."

Jane studied her brother's face and wondered how she and her twin could be so vastly different. They weren't even similar in looks. Joshua was tall with a square jawline and smiling brown eyes. Sandy blonde curls tumbled across his forehead and he was always ready with a joke or a quip.

"You can't tell me that you don't see the damage." she snapped. "Its as plain as the nose on your face."

"All I see are the marks from intense fighting, fighting that us humans wouldn't be able to withstand. The gun has held up so far, and I don't see a need to change anything."

"Arrgh!" she shouted and threw the handkerchief in her brothers face as she stalked out of the range.

She stomped straight up the stairs to the workshop chief's office and banged on the door.

"It's open." a mild reply wafted out.

She pushed the door open and entered the room, drawing breath to begin her diatribe when the man at the desk held up his hand and said:

"Not a word. I've heard it all before and I'm not interested. We're not redesigning it, we're not re-machining it. You say one more work on the matter and you're gone."

Jane stared at him for a good ten seconds and then muttered:

"Yes Sir, very good Sir."

Turning on her heel, she left the room and for once made a smart choice by resisting the urge to slam the door on her way out. As she plodded down the stairs, her shoulders slumped and she scuffed her feet all the way to her workshop. She went to the workbench and opened the recently delivered box of phosphorous incendiary rounds. She examined them to ensure that her design specs had been followed and then spent the next hour loading magazines, writing an instruction note and packing them up.

"You ready to go?"

She turned at the sound of Joshua's voice in the doorway and smiled, her bad mood lost in a haze of gunpowder and steel.

"Sure, let me just lock these rounds in the safe and then we can be off."

As she maneuvered the ammunition into a nearby safe, she noticed a large wooden box in Joshua's hands. Pointing with her chin, she asked:

"That the new one?"

"Yeah. Don't suppose you want to lock it in here?" he asked. "It's far to the other end and I'm knackered."

"Sure." she said lightly, hoping that her fast beating heart wasn't too apparent.

She locked the safe, dowsed the lights and the two of them left factory with all the others.

**Later that night**

Jane sauntered into the factory with the shift change and waved at Ernie the night guard.

"You clocking up the overtime then?" he called.

"Something like that."

Making her way to her workshop, she closed the door behind her and took a deep breath. She opened the safe and took out the wooden box, straining slightly with the weight. She slid it onto the workbench and then started to place tools alongside it. A quick dip into a locked draw produced a set of grips that were thicker than the average. With a deep breath, she opened the gun box and reached in for the gleaming steel instrument of death.

"All or nothing now." she murmured.


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Still not mine. I'm trying to blend my work and the original work together as best I can so please forgive my literary fumbling. Feedback will be appreciated, it's the only way to get better.

Chapter Three

Victoria was lying on her bed, trying to feel the setting of the sun. She had won the argument with Integra regarding the coffin, but the cost had been agreement to drink a blood pack at least once a week. When she considered the size of the box she had been given to sleep in, she felt that she'd gotten the better end of the deal.

Alucard had told her that as she became stronger, the world around her would reveal itself in ways that she would never have been able to perceive as a human.

The rising and setting of the sun and moon, the turning of the seasons. The tingle of a lightening strike still being born in the heavens – all these things he had promised she would feel.

But she didn't, not yet.

*It's because I wont drink.* she thought, *not properly.*

A quick glance at the clock on the floor told her that it was definitely coming up on evening.

Heaving a slightly despondent sigh, she rolled over onto her back and closed eyes. Furrowing her brow in concentration, she visualised the setting sun and the lavender shadows slowly creeping across the land. She could almost feel the warmth of the last golden rays on her skin when she was shaken from her mental exercise by the deep voice of her master.

"Are you quite done Police girl?"

Her eyes flew open to see him lounging in the open doorway. Obviously she had been so lost in thought that she hadn't heard the door open.

"Done with what Master?" she asked as she sat up and ruffled her hair into place.

"I've been seeing the sunset for the past ten minutes." he grumbled. "Which would be good, if the sun was setting."

"It...isn't?" she asked tentatively.

"It set twenty minutes ago." he said flatly. "Although your imagination is quite strong."

He turned and walked out into the passage and then threw over his shoulder:

"Now stop broadcasting and come along. I have a Vatican assassin to demolish and I could use an audience."

She stared at the empty doorway as hot colour suffused her cheeks. She had been imagining it all!

*oh bother.* she thought as she scrambled after him. *he's never going to let me live this down.*

The hallway was empty and she surmised that he had just translocated from one place to another, leaving her to run up several flights of stairs. It wasn't that it made her tired – nothing seemed to make her tired anymore. It was just a drag to have to catch up to him all the time.

*that's the first thing I need to learn.* she vowed.

Alucard was waiting in Integra's office, sitting on her desk. He knew she wasn't in there, but she was on her way and it suited him to confront her on what she perceived to be her home ground. Little did she realise that to him, the whole castle was her home ground. So he took to ambushing her and the staff in hallways and dining rooms, to keep them off guard.

"Get off my desk." she ordered as she strode into the room. "I have enough paperwork to get through without you making arse dents in it."

"As you command, master"

He stood up with a sweeping bow and pulled the chair out her as she rounded the corner of the table. Settling into her chair, she looked up at him with narrowed eyes and snapped:

"I suppose you want permission to leave the grounds tonight?"

"I think that we need to remove the Anderson threat once and for all." he said calmly.

"And I think you're just spoiling for a fight."

"Maybe." he flashed a sharp toothed grin. "A little exercise never hurt anyone."

Integra gave an unladylike snort and then held out a piece of paper.

"Well Anderson will just have to wait. There seems to be a ghoul problem rising up in a small village on the outskirts of Chester. The troop carrier is waiting to take you and a team there to eradicate the problem."

Alucard's grin widened and his hand automatically went to where the joshua was normally holstered. Integra caught the movement and said:

"I believe Walter has your new one, he's waiting in the main hall"

"Then by your leave?" he asked, hand on the door handle.

"Go clean out that nest and come back here." she ordered.

"And may God have mercy on the innocent souls already lost." she added softly to his retreating back.

Victoria was coming up into the main entry hall as he stepped of the stair case.

"Change of plans Police girl. We're taking a little night drive in the countryside."

"Oh?"

"Village with a ghoul problem, should be some nice practice for you."

"Yes master." she sighed. "I'll go get the cannon."

"No need Miss Victoria." came Walter's clipped tones from the antechamber. "I have it right here."

The two undead went in to find Victoria's gun case leaning against the wall and a wooden box on the table. Alucard's inhumanly sharp sense of smell caught an unmistakable scent and he looked over to see if Victoria had caught it. Judging from the way her eyes were darting around the room, he surmised she had definitely smelled something.

*there's a definite improvement* he thought with a small sense of pride.

Walter cleared his throat to draw their attention to him.

"Your cannon has been reloaded with phosphorus incendiary rounds Miss Victoria, once embedded in a target, they ignite and burn at around 5000 degrees Fahrenheit. This will also provide rather thick smoke cover so I suggest firing from a decent distance."

"I suspect that I'm going to be the audience tonight." chuckled Alucard.

Victoria snapped open the case and hefted the cannon's strap up onto her shoulder and turned to Alucard.

"I'll see you in the courtyard then?"

He nodded, and then turned back to see Walter opening the box on the table.

"Your new Joshua .454, as requested."

"Thank you Walter. Excellent as always."

With a short bow, Walter left the antechamber, taking the cannon's case with him.

Alucard lifted the shining steel pistol out of the box and hefted it thoughtfully in his hand before sliding it into its holster. He slipped the two extra clips into his pocket before picking up the box and dropping it on the floor. No real damage was done from that height so he crushed it with his boot, splintering it with a satisfying crackle.

Going down on one knee, he picked the small envelope out of the debris and stood up. He noted the bold writing on the front: _Attention to the Gun Owner,_ and then held it to his nose and inhaled deeply.

It was definitely coming from the letter, a small but fresh scent of blood. He grinned.

Tucking it into his coat pocket, he left the mess on the floor without a glance and strode off towards the staging area to join the team.


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Hellsing is not mine, worse luck. Apologies about the muddle with Victoria and Seras – I'm new to all of this.

Chapter Four

The troop carrier grumbled its way through the dark countryside. Inside, occupants were wreathed in a fug of cigarette smoke, the tang of gun oil and the low hum of murmured conversations. A few of the more veteran members were dozing.

Seras was seated at the front of the carrier, she had been studying the map that Jones, the unit commander had given her. Her police training was coming to the fore as she discussed the best method of searching the village with Jones, who was seated opposite her.

Her master had taken the second transport, as it meant that he could sit in the front seat. She grinned inwardly as she tried to imagine him sitting in the back with the normal troops. She was about to ask Jones about the village church when the driver's voice crackled on the intercom.

"Second transport pulling over sir, stopping to see what the problem is. We're about fifteen minutes out."

The vehicle ground to a stop and two troopers flung the doors open, hopped down and peered into the dark hedges on either side of the road with their automatic rifles at the ready. Seras sighed as she picked up her cannon and made her way out of the carrier. She had a very good idea of what was going on and as she approached Jones speaking to her master, her suspicions were confirmed.

"You and your men will form a perimeter around the village, the police girl and I will take it from there."

"What, we're just supposed to stand around looking pretty?" snapped Jones.

Alucard grinned at Jones, who took an involuntary step back.

"We're the best suited for this operation Captain and I don't want any humans getting in the way."

He looked over the top of his glasses and added with menace:

"I can't guarantee their safety."

Jones swallowed hard, his mouth dry and bitter. Turning abruptly he ordered everyone back into the carriers and soon the two trucks were making their way towards the village.

Alucard turned to Seras and said with a sardonic grin:

"Its such a nice night, I thought we'd walk."

She coloured slightly as she recalled him saying nearly the same thing on the night that they met. Adjusting the cannon's strap, she fell into step beside him and they made their way to the quiet little village resting in the moonlight.

About a kilometer away, the pair of them climbed a small hill and Seras settled into the dew bedecked grass so she could get a line of sight on the outlying buildings.

"If you lay down to shots on the east and west, the smoke will provide enough cover for you to go into the streets without being seen." said Alucard, pointing at the locations.

"M..Me?" she stammered, looking up at him in surprise. "In the streets, by myself?"

"I don't think a bunch of ghouls will be too much trouble for a police girl." he smirked. "After all, I saw what you did to the ones in Ireland."

She nodded and was about to re-sight on the cannon but his next words startled her into looking at him again.

"You will of course stay well away from the village hall." he said sternly.

"Okay, but why?"

"The vampire is in there, and you're not capable of taking him on." he answered bluntly.

She considered his words and then nodded, turning quickly back to her sighting mechanism so he wouldn't see the hurt in her eyes. She couldn't bear to think that he didn't think she was capable.

Alucard sighed quietly. He was well aware of his fledgling injured feelings and knew that he'd have to address the matter soon. But first, there was killing to do.

The high velocity round embedded itself into the remains of a field wall and ignited with an incandescent hiss. Thick smoke quickly enveloped the wall and started spreading towards the houses. Another round on the other end of town produced the same effect and the village was rapidly blanketed in a cloud made opalescent by the overhead street lamps.

Seras left the cannon with the men that had surrounded the area and moved silently into the streets, her combat knife ready in her hand. She had also borrowed a bayonet from one the trooper. She could hear feet shuffling towards her and ducked into an alley to let the ghouls get in front of her. She counted three of them and as they passed the opening of the alley, she stepped in behind them.

A sharp kick to the back of the middle man's knees and a swift upthrust with both hands left three ghouls at her feet. Two with blades embedded in the base of their skulls and one with smashed knees. A heavy stomp ended the wriggling of the last ghoul and she was left to retrieve her knives from a pile of sand. Her preternatural senses sharpened with the adrenaline of killing and with a feral grin, she headed off down a side street where she could hear more shuffling.

A hot excitement spread through her body as she tracked the ghouls through the village, felling them with her knives, her boots and in once instance: smashing a head into a wall by hand.

Dusting the grey ash off her hands, Victoria looked around and heard faint gunfire echoing from the middle of the village – where her master had told her not to go, where she was headed to anyway.

Alucard stepped into the town hall and called out:

"Okay maggot, what rock are you crawling under?"

There was no answer to his taunt and he stomped his way up towards the podium, his footfalls echoing through the empty hall. He reached the front of the room without incident and drew his gun, probing outwards with his senses.

"I know you're here." he said, his resonant voice filling the space. "Come out and let me kill you."

Silence.

"Your little army of ghouls is gone, there's no one to help you now. Stop wasting my time!"

The last ended in a roar as he turned to look upwards at the rafters. Crouched on one of the trusses was a shape that he opened fire on. The vampire fell from the truss and landed on the flagstone floor with a horrid smacking sound.

Alucard watched impassively as the man twitched and tried to roll over. Btu the silver bullet lodged in his chest, wouldn't allow that. Closing the space between them he put a heavy boot on the injured vampires back and pointed his gun at the back of its head.

"Who made you?" he snarled.

"Go fuck y'self."

He ground his heel in, feeling bones creak and grind.

"I won't ask again, who made you?"

The vampire responded with a vulgar suggestion involving Alucard's male anatomy and an inhuman gymnastic ability.

"Been there, done that."

With deafening boom the gun fired and the rogue vampire's head vaporised. Alucard looked at the mess he had made and then dipped a finger in a small puddle and licked it clean, as the body disintegrated into ash.

Images came to him, of a normal and mundane human life that ended in a squeal of car breaks and a sickening thump. After that – nothing.

A footstep at the door alerted him to Seras' presence and he looked round at her.

"Finished so quickly police girl?"

She shrugged and said flippantly "They weren't that hard."

Looking past her master she saw the pile of dust and asked:

"You get your man then?"

"Did you doubt?" he smirked, as he walked past her and out into the night.

"Never."

The smoke cover had all but dissipated and she fell into step alongside him as they strolled through silent streets, back towards the carriers. While they were walking, she asked quietly:

"Why did you say that I'm not capable of handling a vampire?"

"Because you're not. Not yet."

They were within sight of the barrier erected by the Hellsing troops when she asked:

"When will I be?"

Alucard stopped and looked down at his little fledgling. Taking his glasses off with one hand, he caught her chin in the other and forced her head up to meet his eyes.

"When you feed Seras." he said in a deadly tone. "When you nourish yourself with the blood of others, only then will your abilities rise."

He let go of her chin and walked off, throwing over his shoulder:

"But you're still too much of a coward."

Seras' eyes filled with tears as she realised he was right. Almost every dawn she went to her bed with a gnawing pain inside of her that was so much more than mere hunger. It was only different on the days she managed to gag down a blood pack, and even then the relief was temporary. She had to use all of her will power to dispose of the blood on other nights. Despite her craving, she just couldn't get around the fact that she was about to swallow human blood.

"Come on police girl, dawn is coming."

The shout roused her from her thoughts and she angrily wiped away her tears as she dashed after her master. Soon they were on their way back to Hellsing, leaving the village to sit quietly under the moonlight.


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: A short chapter but I'm setting up for bigger things, so bear with me here dear readers, I promise to try make it worth your while. But you will forgive a little tease would you not?

Oh, the legal bumph – Hellsing isn't mine, blah blah blah.

Chapter 5

"And the vampire that you silenced, it had no memory of its maker?"

Integra put the incident report back on her desk and looked over at Alucard who was lounging on the windowsill. His ebony hair spilled across his face as he shook his head in the negative.

"None. That vampire was made and then abandoned by its sire."

"You don't think it was turned loose with purpose?"

"None. Those ghouls that it had made were milling around that village with no purpose or direction. It had fed, copiously, and then had no orders for the walking leftovers, leaving them to wander."

He sat up and grinned at his master.

"That's why I let the little police girl take them. They were no threat."

"Ah, I was wondering why you let her loose."

"Hmph." he snorted. "Not loose enough."

Integra raised an eyebrow at the scorn in his tone and gestured with her ever present cigar.

"Explain."

"She needs to use the powers that she now has, to learn to control them. She was coming along nicely, until Anderson interfered."

In his minds eye he could still see the eagerness in Seras' eyes as she was about to sate her blood-lust and then the shock and pain as Anderson's bayonet transfixed her throat.

With that memory, Alucard clenched his fist and ground his fangs. His fledgling had been injured and that was an inexcusable crime. Never mind that he had drawn blood and broken bones in their training sessions, that was his right and no human – enhanced or otherwise, was going to make that mistake again.

Integra watched silently as her demonic servant mastered his rage. She knew he felt strongly over his offspring, and had a very good idea that the bond between sire and fledgling would run as deep if not deeper than the one that ran between her and Alucard. Idly she wondered what he was going to do when Seras grew up (metaphorically speaking) and decided that she no longer wanted to have a master.

Her mental meanderings came to an abrupt halt as she caught sight of the window and realised that the black of night was leaching into a crematorium grey.

Sharply she stubbed her cigar out in the crystal ashtray and said crisply:

"Quite. But I suspect that there will be other opportunities for Seras to exercise her….talents. Meanwhile, the sun will be up soon and you need eat before you go under."

Alucard's grin was feral to say the least as he inclined his head to her and left the room via the door.

"Good morning Master."

He closed the door behind him and sank through the floor and arrived in the basement corridor. He sauntered towards Seras' door and then stopped outside. He could hear the sounds of retching and shook his head in exasperation.

*You'd better learn to like it police girl.* he thought as he stepped towards his own chamber. *Eternity is a long time to stay hungry.*

Seras had seen the blood pack waiting for her when she got back to her room, but she studiously ignored it and went to shower instead. Wrapped in a large fluffy gown, she had sat at the table and poured the blood into the glass provided. With her master's taunting ringing in her ears, she had stared at it for as long as she could, feeling the clawing pain inside of her until thirst and shame overwhelmed her and she seized it, gulping as fast as she could.

The liquid filled her mouth with a coppery sweetness and she swallowed eagerly. As her hunger abated, she because acutely aware of what she was drinking and dropped the glass on the table in revulsion. She scrambled to the bathroom and made it just in time before her horror won out over hunger and she vomited up her supper.

"I can't keep doing this." she groaned, kneeling on the cold tiles. It was an effort to get to her feet, and it frightened her. Rinsing her mouth with water, she glared at herself in the mirror.

"You chose this, remember." she admonished her reflection. "You'd better start dealing with it."

She looked a moment longer and then took herself off to bed. As the lid came down, she whispered:

"I'll try harder Master. I promise."

Alucard heard her whispers and grinned in the dark. He could wait for her to come to terms with her new life or no-life. After, he had nothing but time.

He snapped his fingers and the candles sconces burst into light. Just as Walter had left dinner for Seras, he had also left dinner for Alucard. Blood blended with wine, and poured so it could breathe.

He reached for the glass when a more subtle scent arose from within his jacket.

Reaching in, he drew out the envelope that he had found in the box earlier in the evening. His curiosity aroused, he used a sharp thumbnail to slit the missive open. Lifting his glass, he savored the glimmering red liquid as his baleful eyes slid over the writing before him.

 _"Dear Gun Owner,_

 _Since no one has seen fit to grace me with your name, I trust the above salutation will suffice. From the delivery method, I'm sure you can gather that I shouldn't be doing this, but I cannot remain silent any longer…._


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Not mine, no money. Go away.

Authors Note: I'm going to deviate from the cannon here – and I hope that I can keep it interesting enough to keep you despite that. Any errors or changes are entirely mine – but hey, that's why its fiction right? Oh, and the chapters will be longer too.

Chapter 6

 _"Dear Gun Owner,_

 _Since no one has seen fit to grace me with your name, I trust the above salutation will suffice. From the delivery method, I'm sure you can gather that I shouldn't be doing this, but I cannot remain silent any longer._

 _The plain fact is that you have outgrown the gun that you are currently using. Your hand strength is compromising the grips and threatening to distort the actual magazine. This can cause a tactically disastrous misfire, or worse, a detonation of the entire magazine itself, while still in your hand._

 _I'm sure that you have noticed a little extra weight where I have reinforced the grips as best I can for the moment. Unfortunately there was no opportunity to refit the counterweight, although I am confident that you will manage. The rumors of your abilities abound and there must be some grain of truth there._

 _My findings have been reported and I have repeatedly requested that our weapons specialist be allowed to either re-machine or re-design the gun. Unfortunately, my pleas have been ignored and my reports buried. I implore you to request a review of the joshua, or better yet, request a new weapon all together. I have tried my best to supply the most stable of ammunition, but you are risking your life with every pull of the trigger._

 _It is my firm belief that this inaction is not mere apathy – I believe that it is betrayal._

 _Please, heed this warning, and take action._

 _Yours in hope,_

 _Jane Smith_

Alucard sat for a while, drinking and re-reading the letter. Occasionally he lifted the paper to his nose. He had indeed noticed a weight difference when he had holstered his gun and like the writer had guessed, it had been nothing to adjust to it. Taking the pistol out, he examined the grips and could see that they were different. His hand tightened around the grip and he squeezed with his considerable strength. And with his preternatural hearing, he could hear the minute crackles as the grip started to splinter in his hand. He grinned as he opened his hand and looked at the damage.

He holstered the pistol and stood up. Slipping the coat and gun harness off, he draped both over a chair post, and sauntered to his coffin. Getting comfortable, he realised that he had left the note on the table and he opened a shadow beneath it so that it dropped into his hand. He folded it and slid it into his waistcoat pocket. He could still smell it, although the scent was degrading rapidly.

As the coffin lid closed, he closed his eyes and sought sleep. He was going to be very busy soon enough.

Later the following evening:

Walter raised an eyebrow as he finished reading the letter that Integra had shoved into his hands a moment earlier. He handed it back to her and when she didn't reach for it, lay it on her desk.

"Is there any truth to this?" he asked.

"Personnel records show we do have a Jane Smith working at our munitions factory in Cardiff. She falls under the direct supervision of Peter Wiggins, who would be the person she is accusing of burying the reports." she replied, waving her hand in the vague direction of her computer terminal.

"And so what do we do now?"

"I want you to send a team to Cardiff to take Miss Smith and Mr Wiggins into custody, as well as assemble detailed files on both of them. They'll both be at the factory in the morning, so advise the team accordingly."

"I'll dispatch the team and start the research immediately."

He turned to leave and then turned back to the smoking woman.

"Will we be detaining them at the local barracks?"

"No, have them brought to the castle. I'd rather not have this get out amongst the troops. Dissension in the ranks and all that."

"Quite."

And with that remark, Walter was off.

"Dissension in the ranks?" Alucard's sardonic tone echoed round the chamber.

Integra turned to see him lounging in the windowsill again. Swiveling her chair to face him, she drew deeply on the last of her cigar before crushing it out.

"A lie will travel halfway around the world before the truth has time to get its pants on." she said. "And I don't need the troops gossiping about a possible traitor. Or getting ideas, if this is nothing more than a disgruntled employee."

"Churchill." sniffed Alucard. "He was such a windbag."

Integra rolled her eyes at his blase comment and then asked:

"Is there any truth to her claims?"

He uncoiled himself from the sill and came over to her table, while drawing the pistol. Gripping it along the barrel he held the grip out for her inspection. He knew that she would never be able to hold it herself. Integra adjusted her glasses as she took in the damage that her servant had inflicted with his bare hands. Using two fingers she turned it over, or rather he turned it over so she could see the other side.

"And this is the re-inforced grip she claims to have put on?" she looked up at him, lamp light flashing off her glasses. He nodded as he put the gun away.

"I believe that part, the gun was heavier when I took it from its case."

Angrily she slammed her hand down on her desk, wincing slightly with the sting.

"Dammit."

Alucard hid his smile at his masters characteristic show of temper. She hated to have anything but complete loyalty from her people and this discovery was bothering her. Idly he picked up her hand and started to rub away the sting.

Integra snatched her hand out of his grasp and snapped:

"Enough of that. It didn't hurt."

"If you say so."

His sardonic tone grated on Itegra's last nerve and she snapped.

"Out! Go make yourself useful and silence another vampire."

"Another one?"

"Reports show another one in the next village over from the one you and Seras went to last night."

"That's unusual, they don't normally operate in such close proximity to each other. It lessens the food supply." He grinned toothily.

"Whatever it is, find it and silence it. Captain Jones and his men are already waiting."

"Of course Master."

He was halfway out the door when Integra was struck by a pang of concern.

"Alucard?"

He turned back to her and looked out from under the brim of his hat.

"Yes?"

"Will the gun hold up for another operation? Or should I just send a human squad?"

He tilted his head scornfully and suddenly her desk was writhing with shadows, lifting her pens and fluttering her papers.

"Good evening Master."

He left the room without another word and her desk returned to normal. She glared at her desk for a long moment, daring it to move and then lit up a cigar. As she smoked, she rubbed the hand that she had smacked on the table.

A few hours later, in the countryside:

Seras put her boot through a ghoul's head with a satisfying squelch. She turned around to see if there were anymore shambling undead but the street was empty, apart from the corpses that she had left in her wake. She was eager for more and she felt a hot flash of disappointment and hunger.

Slow applause from the rooftop startled her and she looked up to see her master leering down at her.

"Well done Police girl. You're getting faster at this."

She smiled at the unexpected praise and then gasped as he threw something towards her. She caught it easily, super reflexes acting without thought. Looking down, she realised that she was holding a blood pack. She looked up at her master and he said nonchalantly:

"I thought you might like one, exterminating ghouls is thirsty work."

He was right, she was thirsty. Without thinking, she tore off the top of the tube, and drank quickly.

The blood was cool and sweet as it went down and for the first time, she emptied the packet and licked the corners of her mouth clean. Spying a nearby bin, she threw the pack into it and turned around as her hear Alucard land in the street behind her.

"So where to now master?"

"The village park, I can feel our prey there."

He strode past her and she took her up usual place at his side, trotting to keep up.

Inwardly Alucard was exultant. His plan for getting his picky little eater to set aside her misgivings had worked. He had counted on the combination of violence and exertion to create a thirst that would overcome her natural revulsion, and he was right. Now he just had to keep her drinking, and not just in combat.

The vampire was waiting for them in the park, just as he had felt. This time it was a woman, sitting on a bench. She looked up at them and smiled sadly.

"I know why you're here. To do away with me."

"And you offer no resistance?"

"No. In fact I am grateful."

This was not what Alucard had been expecting and he decided to let it play out according to her her rules. He could always shoot her if she turned violent. He walked a little closer to the bench while waving Seras to stand a little apart. She did so, looking at the woman with curiosity.

She sighed and looked down at her hands.

"This is not what I expected. If I had a little more courage, I'd wait till sunrise. But I'm a coward."

Alucard took his hat off, handed it to Seras and sat down next to her and said:

"I need information before we get on with it."

"Like?"

"Who made you?"

"I don't know, I can't remember anything from before the accident."

"Accident?"

"I remember driving in the rain, and I hit a puddle and the car started to slide. I hit my head and blacked out."

"And when was that?"

"A week ago. I woke up in this park and I hid in the bushes. I knew I was different than I used to be. I just didn't know how different."

"And there was no one with you?"

"No. I burned myself in the sun when I tried to come out of the bushes so I hid until dark. By then..." she trailed off and then whispered: "I was so thirsty."

She buried her face in her hands and sobbed bitterly.

Alucard sighed and gathered her into his arms and said softly:

"Its okay, its all over."

He curled his fingers into his sleeve and felt the weight of a knife drop into his palm. The moonlight glittered on the sliver blade for an instant before he buried it in the woman's chest. She jerked and then sighed, slithering into a pile of dust in his hands.

He slid the blade back into the concealed arm sheath and stood up, smacking dust off his coat. He took his hat from Seras' nerveless hands and said quietly:

"Its time to go. Our master needs to know what's going on."

In silence the two left the park, leaving the evening breeze to carry the dust to all the corners of the world.


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Not mine, worst luck. What I wouldn't give for shadows to fetch and carry for me.

Authors note: I'm issuing a blanket warning for this and all future chapters. There are going to be things here and there that may make some readers uncomfortable. They are not my personal opinions nor are they here to cause offense. This is fiction, and as such, I'm making this shit up as I go along. Roll with it and see where it takes you – its what I'm doing.

Chapter 7

"An angel of mercy." said Integra flatly. "What the hell is that?"

"It's a vampire that goes around turning humans that are on the brink of death. They believe that they are saving their victims from death. The last two targets that we silenced both had accidents, then both became vampire. It's an angel of mercy, I'm sure of it."

"And where do we look for this roving misfit?"

"Put watchers on all the hospitals in that area. Their usual hunting grounds are trauma centers or nursing homes. Since both targets had accidents, I'm betting on a trauma center."

Integra nodded and then said:

"I've never heard of this before. Is it common?"

"No." Alucard shook his head, "Actually its very rare, and a good thing too. Otherwise we'd be hip deep in vampires."

He sighed deeply and said:

"Is there anything else?"

"No. Good morning."

He nodded and dropped through the floor to the sub levels. He had a very good idea that Seras would be waiting for him, and he wasn't wrong. She was leaning against the wall outside his door, scuffing the toe of her boot. She looked up as she felt him arrive.

"Master, can I talk to you for a moment?"

He stepped past her and opened the chamber door, walked inside and threw himself into his chair. Timidly she followed, and jumped as the candles flared into life.

"You want to know about the woman in the park?"

"Not really."

Her answer startled him. He was sure that she was going to question him about how he had dealt with their last target.

"Then what police girl, the sun is coming." impatience coloured his tone.

"I want to know why you gave me the blood to drink in the field."

"Because you needed it." he said bluntly. "You need to start associating blood with positive emotions, not negative ones."

"B..But..." she stammered.

"But nothing!" he snapped. "You will learn to drink. Whether you drink willingly or I force feed it to you is your choice. But you will drink!"

By this time, he was on his feet, looming over her and shouting.

"I'm sorry." she whispered.

"I heard your promise you know." he said slyly, all traces of anger suddenly gone from him tone.

"You did?" she blushed.

"I did. And I intend to hold you to that promise."

He sat back down, steepled his fingers and looked at her over the tops of his glasses.

"Now go to you room, have a snack and go to sleep."

The stern tone brooked no opposition and Seras nodded once and left the room. She paused at the door and said quietly.

"I already know why you were gentle with the lady in the park. Because she deserved mercy."

And then she was gone.

Alucard bared his fangs and snorted in self disgust. The fledgling thought that he had been gentle, that was NOT the reputation that he had intended to ever cultivate. He made a mental note to show savagery on the next mission and then threw himself into his coffin, a little put out that his feeding subterfuge had been seen.

Meanwhile, at the Hellsing munitions factory in Cardiff:

"Oi!"

The indignant shout echoed across the loading bay and was directed at the two privates that were supposed to be loading crates into a waiting truck. They had gotten bored with their assignment and had sloped off round the stack of crates for a smoke. They looked in the direction of the voice and inwardly groaned as they saw Jane stalking towards them.

She reached them, snatched the cigarette from them and ground it out on the sole of her boot. Then she stuffed the still warm butt into the shirt pocket of the nearest private. He didn't dare flinch.

Glaring first at one and then the other, she let rip.

"Did either of you two muppets think to take a look at what you were loading before you decided to strike an open flame?"

"Uhh, no ma'am." mumbled one. His partner in crime remained silent, because he knew better.

"No." she said vehemently. "Of course you didn't. Because if you had, you'd have noticed that you were surrounded by five hundred or more claymore mines, my claymore mines. Which means that if either of you two bell ends had dropped that fag, we'd be using a high pressure hose to clean what was left of you off the walls."

She let that visual image sink in for a moment.

"Now get on with it, and no more mucking about."

She turned on her heel and left the two young men standing at rigid attention while their nuts climbed back down to where they belonged and then started loading as efficiently as possible.

She had made it back into her office when she could hear indignant voices coming from the upstairs offices. Shrugging, she closed the door and sat down at her desk where she was reviewing her prototype drawings of a liquid round. Above her the voices continued and then loud and hurried boot falls sounded on the stairs. A moment later, the door to her office was kicked open.

Turning in her seat, she looked to see which suicidal individual had decided that today was the day they died, only to be confronted by a Hellsing squad, masked, fully armed and pointing it all at her.

"Ah." she said calmly, realisation dawning. "I take it the mail arrived."

"Miss Jane Smith, you are to come with us now. With no resistance."

She held up her hands and walked slowly towards them. Once she was within arms reach, she was grabbed, her hands zip tied behind her and relieved of her sidearm, her combat knife and the stiletto that she kept in her boot. A swift patting down found no further weapons and she was marched swiftly towards a waiting van. As she was being taken away, she could Joshua shouting from behind the cordon that had been put up at the door.

"Jane, what's going on?"

"It's okay Josh." she called back.

"No talking." snapped the trooper who was propelling her along, giving her a savage shake.

She rolled her eyes and made a mildly obscene gesture with her hands.

She was nearing the van and she wasn't surprised to see Wiggins being marched towards a different van. His hands were also bound. Other troop members came behind him carrying boxes of files and documents. Jane could recognise some of them being from her own office.

"What have you done Jane?" he screamed as he got closer.

"The right thing." she shouted back, only to receive a sharp blow to the back of her head.

"I said no talking." growled the man who held her.

Jane ground her teeth and stopped walking, planting her feet firmly on the ground. The man walked straight into her and as he did his hold on her arm loosened. Twisting out of his grip, she quickly turned around, stepped in and planted her knee in his crotch. He went down like a sack of wet cement.

She didn't get to enjoy her revenge, as a fist to her jaw dazed her enough for someone else to grab her and shove her into the waiting van. By the time her vision cleared, the doors were closed and she was sitting against the vans rear wall, surrounded by angry, armed troopers.

Deciding that she was in enough trouble for the moment, she resisted the temptation to verbally abuse them and closed her eyes instead, thinking that the look in the trooper's eyes as he went down was well worth the pounding in her head and the swelling she could feel rising on her jaw.

The travel was uneventful although by the time they reached the castle, it was raining. Stopping in a large courtyard, she was manhandled out and stood in front of a man with a monocle and a military posture. He frowned at her and said to the lieutenant:

"What happened to her face?"

"She assaulted one of my men sir, resisting arrest"

the older man's eyes narrowed and he said,

"I doubt that's the whole story but lets not dally in the rain. I'll take her from here. Thank you lieutenant"

He took her elbow gently and led her through a doorway and down a set of steps.

"Please be careful, the steps can be slippery in the damp."

Jane could feel the strength of his grip even though he was only lightly holding on and she instinctively knew not to try anything with this man. He led her down a stone hallway and stopped in front of a metal door.

"Here we are."

'Here' turned out to be a small windowless room with a bare floor, narrow bed and a table and chair. Another door led off to a bathroom. She stood very still as the man drew a pair of clippers from his pocket and snipped off the tie that held her hands. Carefully she brought them in front of her and started to rub life back into the blood starved extremities.

"My name is Walter and I'll be looking after you while you are with us."

She nodded, anger having fled and fear starting to creep in, along with the realisation of how much trouble she was actually in.

"I'll be back soon with some dinner. There are dry things in the cupboard, I suggest you avail yourself of them and the bathroom. There's plenty of hot water."

"Thank you Walter." she said quietly.

He nodded and left the room, closing the door behind him. A moment later, she heard the key turn in the lock.

Jane stood very still for a long while and then moved the chair to face the door and sat down, waiting.

By her watch, she had been sitting for an hour and a half when she heard the scrape of the key in the lock. By the time the door opened, she was standing. Walter came in bearing a covered tray that smelled like it was very good food. He gave her a quizzical look as he set the tray on the table.

Jane swallowed heavily and spoke, trying to keep the tremor from her voice:

"If you're going to execute me, two in the chest please. I'd rather see it coming and I think my brother would want an open casket."

Walter's eyes went very wide as he realised that she fully expected to be sanctioned there and then. He placed the tray on the table and turned to her, looking her in the eye.

"You're very mistaken Miss Smith." he said gently. "I believe that Sir Integra just wants to get to the bottom of this matter and would rather have you here at her convenience, possibly even for your own safety.

"Ah." she sounded unconvinced.

Walter turned and took the lid of the tray revealing a bowl of soup with two slices of bread next to it.

A glass of juice and a small paper cup with two tablets in it completed the tray.

"what are those?"

"Painkillers. That jaw looks rather painful and I think you'd better have a good nights sleep."

He was about to leave when she spoke again:

"I did assault that man."

"I have no doubt that you did. Good night Miss Smith."

And with that, she was alone again.

She sat at the table and poked at the soup. It was good and was soon gone along with the bread. The juice followed and the two tablets went straight into the toilet.

She had a shower and the water was as hot as promised. The cupboard yielded a plain grey tracksuit and clean underthings that were suspiciously her size. Sitting on the bed, her back against the wall, she tried to sort out in her head what was going to happen now, but she found herself sliding down and was soon flat on the bed, fast asleep.

In the kitchen, Walter felt a small moment of guilt at his deception. The tablets were sugar pills, and the sedative had been in the soup.


	9. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: This is getting really old, really fast.

Authors Note: Thanks to all of you for the positive feedback, it really helps to know that I'm not mucking up too badly with this. I've tried to get technical details as close as possible, and I'm sure that my browser history has flagged somebody somewhere. But if there are errors, be merciful.

Chapter 8

The wire was there, right in front of her, now all she had to do was cut it. She looked up at the earnest face of the young man crouching down next to her, holding up the floor panel that she was reaching under. Sweat beaded his brow and he was as pale as the moon.

"Don't throw up on me here, okay son?"

"Y..yes ma'am." he whispered.

"I'm going to pull this buggers teeth and then we'll go get a drink. So keep those hands steady."

As she reached in with her clippers, the man jerked the panel involuntarily, pulling the wire loose from the device that had been concealed in the floor.

"Fuck!"

She was already rising to her feet and body slammed her partner backwards as hard as she could. Landing heavily on top of him, she hoped that her suit would shield both of them.

The explosive device went off with a roar that scattered bits of floor tile all around them. Sitting up, she undid her helmet and grinned down at the wheezing man that she was nearly sitting on.

"That wasn't so ba..."

A concussive wave from a second hidden device drove the air from her lungs, she had a moment to register what felt like a hot gust of air mixed with gravel on her face before she was flat on her back, staring up at the ceiling. She hadn't heard the detonation, and all she could feel was a warm wetness trickling down the sides of her neck and from her nose.

The young man loomed over her, his mouth moved but she couldn't hear him, she heard nothing.

Jane slammed into full wakefulness and opened her eyes to pitch darkness. Using the display on her watch, she could see she had been asleep for nearly six hours. It was now just after five the following morning. Swinging out of the bed, she shuffled over to the bathroom and flicked on the light. She rubbed her left ear absently.

* Sly old git. * she thought. *put something in the food. *

Finishing in the bathroom, she turned on the room light and was mildly horrified to see that her dinner tray had been taken away and her work overall had been washed, pressed and put back on a hanger. The thought of someone poncing around her room while she was sleeping did not sit well with her.

Retreating back into the bathroom with her overall, she took a quick shower and dressed. Taking a brief look in the mirror she pulled a face at the lurid purple discoloration on her jaw.

Making the bed took a mere moment and then she put the chair in the same position as the night before and sat looking at the door, waiting for her fate.

Integra crunched down on the last of her toast and tossed the morning paper across the table. Within a moment, Walter appeared and asked:

"More tea?"

"Please. I have a feeling that today is going to be very trying."

She watched impassively as he poured the tea and took away her used plates. Sipping the fragrant brew, she exhaled and then made an impatient noise as her glasses fogged up. She slipped them off and lay them on the table in front of her.

Walter appeared again and twitched up the paper, folded it precisely and then said:

"I've put the files that you asked for in your office. They are as comprehensive as I could make them."

"Thank you Walter."

She finished her tea and settled her glasses back on her nose. Standing up, she looked at him and said:

"When you're finished with the morning tasks, meet me in the office. I'd like you to give me a rundown on those files." with a sly smile, she added "Knowing you, they're more like biographies than files."

Walter shrugged with a little self consciousness and said:

"I like to be thorough."

Integra left him to his tasks and made her way to her office. She would have read those files by the time Walter got to her. But she valued his opinion and he had a way of ferreting out bits of information that added a much better picture.

Walter let himself into Peter Wiggins' room with the breakfast tray, only to be met with a barrage of verbal abuse.

"You cannot do this to me! I demand to see Integra at once! The board will hear about this!"

He was drawing in breath to continue shouting when Walter placed the tray on the table and turned to him with a grim look:

"Sir Integra will be speaking to you at her own convenience and so I suggest you save your breath until then. I'd hate to have to find a way to keep you quiet."

His words dripped with unconcealed menace and he had placed extra emphasis on the word Sir. Peter hastily swallowed his upcoming outburst and nodded rapidly. He watched the butler leave the room and heaved a large sigh, he was very sure that for a moment, he had been in considerable danger.

Opening the next cell, Walter wasn't surprised to find Jane standing and waiting for him.

"Good morning Miss Smith. I trust you rested well."

"Good morning Walter. I did thank you." she said stiffly.

He could tell that she was less than pleased with him, but he said nothing as he deposited the tray.

"Sir Integra will be meeting with you sometime today. I'm sure all of this will be sorted out."

She nodded silently at him and then asked:

"Could a message be sent to my brother that I'm at least okay, not dead in ditch somewhere?"

"We've already told him that you are safe and for the moment, unavailable."

"Thank you."

He left her staring at the breakfast tray with obvious mistrust. Going straight upstairs, he set the rest of the household to work and then went to see Integra in her office.

A few hours later.

"I just cannot see anything in Peter's file that indicates that he is incompetent in his job."

The frustration crackled in Integra's voice as she stabbed a finger at the file on her desk.

"I don't think that its incompetence in his duties that he's guilty of." Said Walter who was seated opposite her. "Rather a failure to act because of a personal prejudice."

"You think he's against the idea of a vampire working for Hellsing?"

"That is my impression, yes"

"We'll see when I speak to him. Meanwhile, this Smith girl? Summarise for me please Walter."

Integra leaned back in her chair to ease her lower back and lit a cigar. She closed her eyes and listened as Walter spoke:

"Miss Jane Smith, 28 years old. Joined the army straight out of school at 18, went through basic training and met the requirements to join the engineers and pursue a career in the EOD unit."

"EOD?"

"Explosive Ordinance Disposal."

"Ah." Integra waved her hand for him to continue.

"Military career spanned seven year from start to finish before she was medically discharged."

"She was injured?"

"An incident in the field caused her to lose 90% of her hearing and as such, could no longer perform her duties. After discharge, she used her knowledge of munitions to apply to Hellsing for employment. Her twin brother followed. He had also been in the military, infantry division."

"And how did they even know that Hellsing existed?

"Their father was one of our primary weapons specialists. I believe that he designed Alucard's first gun, naming it after his son."

"So they would be on the legacy list then."

"Yes. The son, Joshua took over as chief weapons specialist and she moved into ammunition design and development."

Walter cleared his throat and then went on:

"Captain Jones has added a personal note to her file."

"Yes?"

"She regularly passes the annual Hellsing troop fitness test, hearing aside, and often trains with the troops in the urban combat facility. She claims it helps her design better ammunition and also she 'likes to keep her hand in' as she puts it. Her nickname is Post."

"Post?"

"As in, deaf as."

Integra snorted in amusement and then asked:

"What happened to their father"

"Cancer. A few years into their military service. Their mother died in their childhood in a car accident."

"And so she's been with us for a little over three years?"

"Something like that, yes."

"And the reports that she claims were buried and ignored?"

"They were there, all with the note that she was mistaken and that no such damage existed."

"And yet I've seen it with my own eyes." she murmured.

She glanced down at the clock on the desk and sighed.

"It's lunchtime. As soon as we've all eaten, I'll start with Mr Wiggins."

"Very good sir."

Deep in the basement cell, Jane had finished her lunch and was fiddling with her single hearing aid. Normally she took it out at night and switched it off, but last night she hadn't and she could hear that the battery was running low. She didn't want to be halfway through the interview with Sir Integra and suddenly have to start lip reading.

* Better leave it off until the last minute.* she said to herself.

Mr Wiggins was a rather corpulent individual with a tendency to sound querulous when he was scared or upset. And right now he was seated in front of a very scary Sir Integra Wingates Hellsing, bleating like Mary's little lamb.

"I just don't think that its right. We're supposed to eradicate them, not use them. Not keep them in the basement."

"So you don't agree with the use of Alucard or Seras?"

"No Sir, I do not. It just isn't right."

"So you deliberately ignored information that could have caused a tactical disaster in the field. Putting my agent at risk, as well as the human soldiers that work alongside him?"

Mr Wiggins goggled at her for a moment and then a deep red suffused his face.

"They should know better than to consort with those things!" he spat, anger starting to rise in his voice. "This job is for men, human men. Not demons and women."

Integra lifted and eyebrow but said nothing, allowing his diatribe to gain momentum.

"If this organisation was being run properly, we'd had consigned those two foul creatures to hell years ago. In fact, when I leave here I'm going straight to the knights council to denounce you and your filthy undead killers!"

"And who said you'd be leaving here?" asked Integra mildly.

He gaped at her and started screaming, spittle flying from his lips.

"You cannot keep me here! I have rights, I have people who will back me up on this and you cannot incarcerate me. If you do that, then my people will go public with the entire existence of Hellsing and its dirty secrets!"

"You would expose us and everything we do here?" she asked, deep sadness entering her tone.

"Yes! Expose you, denounce you and make sure that you are shut down!"

"Then you leave me with no choice."

Integra stood up from behind her desk and stared at the man threatening to destroy everything she had worked for. Deep pain and steely resolve coalesced in her eyes and she said calmly.

"Peter Wiggins, I hereby give the order for you to be sanctioned with extreme prejudice."

He turned pale at her words and started to stammer out a retraction, which she cut off.

"You cannot be trusted. You have betrayed my faith in you and you have placed too many lives at risk. You have brought this upon yourself."

Looking up at Walter, she ordered:

"Take him back to his cell."

Wiggins was speechless as he left the room, his shoulders slumped and his feet shuffling as he went. Integra sat down and put her head in her hands.

"Don't tell me you feel bad for that cretin?"

Alucard rose up through the floor in front of her desk and leaned against her desk, looming over her.

Integra's head snapped up as her hand slammed down on the table.

"Of course not! I will not tolerate anyone undermining this organization and everything it stands for."

The towering vampire grinned and said proudly:

"That's my master."


	10. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Volo amet me Hellsing, ego non pecuniam hanc scribble. (So there!)

Chapter 9

By the time Jane took a seat in Integra's office, it was already dusk. Distant rumbles and erratic flashes promised that another downpour would soon be in the offing.

Integra studied the woman in front of her, taking in a physical impression to go alongside what she already knew. There was nothing outwardly remarkable about Miss Jane Smith – an athletic looking woman standing at 5'4, with dark auburn hair that was currently pinned into a serviceable bun. Hazel eyes met icy blue, and then she noticed several small scars on Jane's right forehead and cheek, close to the hairline.

* She's lucky she didn't lose the eye. * she thought, correctly surmising that the scars were from the incident that ended Jane's military career.

She had already made her decision regarding Jane, and now wanted to see if it was going to be the right one. She sat forward, leaning her elbows on the desk, and rested her chin on her interlaced fingers.

"You've caused me a great deal of aggravation Miss Smith." she said gravely.

Jane lifted her chin almost imperceptibly and said nothing.

"Walter tells me that you were under the impression that I was going to have you executed. Why is that?"

"Because I tried and tried to do the right thing but no one wanted to listen. So I didn't know who I could trust, and when I was arrested, I realised that I may be in a great deal of trouble."

"Well you're not."

"I'm not?"

"No. In fact you are to be commended, for exposing a potentially volatile threat to the organization."

"All I wanted was to serve." said Jane earnestly. "Loyalty is the only thing that I have to give."

"I doubt that. Your contributions to the armament have not got unnoticed nor unappreciated."

"Thank you Sir, Ma'am….um"

She trailed off into an embarrassed silence and turned the same colour as her hair.

Integra chuckled, shook her head and leaned back.

"Relax Jane. No one is going to shoot you. In fact, I was looking forward to hearing some of your ideas regarding the joshua pistol."

With that, Jane sagged slightly in her seat, relief showing all over her face, which was quickly replaced by suspicion.

"Really?" she asked warily. "Speaking frankly?"

"Go ahead,"said Integra with a wave of her hand. "Dazzle me."

"Alright." she began, all traces of self consciousness gone. Her hands also began to gesture as she spoke, betraying her enthusiasm.

"Like I explained in my letter, the grips are being crushed and this is leading to a structural breakdown on the actual receiver or frame if you will. So far we've been lucky in the fact that there hasn't been an incident but, it is really only a matter of time. If we could..."

She trailed off and looked down at her hands and then at the desk.

"Its a pity we don't have the gun here, but if you had a pen and paper, I could draw it and explain better"

Before Integra could answer, a pool of shadows bloomed on her table and the pistol in question materialised. Jane stared for a moment, raised an eyebrow and said:

"Handy thing that."

She pointed at the gun. "May I?'

Integra gestured and proceeded to prep a cigar while she watched Jane take the pistol apart in short order, talking all the while. She was listening, but was also taken aback slightly by the woman's apparent joy of handling the weapon, and unperturbed reaction to its arrival.

"So here are those stress fractures I was talking about, and shit, these are the thicker grips too! Anyway, my real concern is the receiver here, where we then add the trigger mechanism and barrel, it really needs to be re-machined from something like titanium, maybe with a tungsten core. Its going to add to the weight though, and then we'll need to change the balance. um..."

She looked up at Integra and trailed off as she noticed a slightly glazed look.

"Sorry." she grimaced. "I get a little carried away when it comes to this."

"I can see that." smirked Integra. "So the bottom line?"

"Bottom line is that the best I can suggest for the joshua model is a complete rebuild with better materials. But honestly? A whole new gun altogether, completely custom built from the ground up."

"And how long would it take, were I to commission such a weapon?"

"If its the only thing that he works on, then about two months from design to delivery, but that is barring any major problems once it goes into production."

"He?"

"Joshua, your head weapon specialist."

"Ah, about that."

Jane's heart clenched in her chest and she could feel the blood drain from her face."

"What about Joshua?"

"I'm having him transferred to general troops."

"B..but why?"

"He could have intervened with Mr Wiggins, instead he chose to do nothing. I can't have someone with no fortitude in charge of arming my forces."

"I see." she said in a small voice.

"Actually, you don't." snapped Integra. "Like I said before, you've caused me a great deal of aggravation."

Anger kindled in Jane, but before she could open her mouth (And make a spectacular display of foot in mouth) Integra continued.

"We're going to have to merge the two design departments together, both guns and ammunition research and development. And guess who I'm putting in charge?"

Jane shook her head, apprehension written all over her.

"Yes, you." came the answer she both wanted to hear and was dreading.

"For your sins." added Integra ominously, although the smile she wore belied the sting of the tone.

"Thank you Sir. I wont let you down Sir." Jane was practically sitting at attention now.

"You'd better not."

She was about to add something else when the storm arrived with a resounding crash that made both women jump slightly. Heavy rain on the roof filled the room with a drumming noise.

"Well. You wont be leaving tonight then." said Integra firmly, turning to the phone on her desk. "I'll call for some tea and then you can tell me what your plans are for Alucard's next toy."

She spoke into the internal phone, not realizing that Jane hadn't heard what she had said. The drumming of the rain on the roof, coupled with a dying battery was loud enough to obscure voices, and so Jane had caught the words: won't be leaving, tea and toy on her bosses lips, but not much else. It left her feeling very confused.

Thankfully by the time Walter arrived with a tray, it had subsided to a gentle sizzle that if she concentrated, she could hear past.

"Tea, Sir Integra."

"Thank you Walter."

"I've also taken the liberty of moving Miss Smith to one of the guest quarters here on the second floor."

"The cell was fine." blurted Jane.

"Nonsense. You aren't a prisoner here, not any more."

Jane watched silently as Walter poured and served, a question nagging at the forefront of her mind. She had to know, she just had to. She accepted a steaming cup, had a sip and then asked calmly.

"What has happened to Mr Wiggins?"

For a brief moment, Integra toyed with the idea of telling some lie, and then decided against it. Jane deserved the truth, even if it made her feel bad. After all, she had blown the whistle on him.

"He refused to co-operate and threatened to expose this organization. I am going to have him sanctioned."

Jane sipped at the cup again and said nothing.

"You don't approve?" challenged Integra.

"Actually, whatever happens to him is his own fault." said Jane coldly, resting her cup on the saucer. "I'm sorry that it came to this but it's not my fault and its not yours. Actions have consequences, and if my actions caused him to act so badly that he needs sanctioning then I have to live with that, which I can do.

She took a sip of tea of and added: "After all, here we're all killers of one kind or another."

Integra stared at her as she continued to sip tea as if she had remarked on nothing more consequential than the weather. Then she smiled inwardly, realising that Jane had a backbone of steel.

They were going to get along just fine.

She was putting her cup back on the tray when she looked over Jane's head and saw two glowing eyes peering out from the painting on the wall. Shaking her head minutely, she restarted the conversation.

"So tell me whats involved in the process of custom building a gun. Will we need to buy more machinery for the factory?"

"No," Jane shook her head. "We have all the machinery we need. I draw up the design, feed it to the C&C and then once the parts are machined, I'll assemble it by hand. Testing and quality control comes after that"

"You make it sound simple, but then say it takes two months?"

"The parts manufacture isn't too a long process, Hellsing's machine shop boys are legendary. But its the design process itself that takes time. You have to decide things like range, caliber, left or right hand...there's a pack of things to figure out. And then of course hand assembly."

"And I assume you will need to meet with the agent?" drawled Integra, wondering how that meeting was going to go. Alucard could be quite demanding.

"Of course, several times probably. But the initial meeting would properly go a bit smoother if you get me a list of his thoughts on it first, you know, what he feels that he needs."

"I need something bigger."

Jane sat bolt upright as voice like liquid dark resonated through the room.


	11. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: ? Really...

Authors Note: Exactly Rowan55, he wasn't getting out of there at all. So if you'd like to discover the fate of our horrid and despicable Mr Wiggins, read on dear friend, read on….

Chapter 10

She looked back over her shoulder to see an extremely tall man coming closer to them. From the looks of things, he'd walked right through the wall. Confident that this was Hellsing's mysterious agent, she was sure that he had done just that.

"Ah Alucard." said Integra. "Just in time to meet Jane before she retires for the night."

"What a pity." he drawled. "And here I thought we were going to have a nice dinner and talk calibers."

Jane had by this time stood up and offered a hand to the crimson clad giant.

"Very pleased to meet you at last."

Alucard looked down at the proffered appendage and then at the person it belonged to. He had eschewed his glasses for the moment and so red eyes met hazel ones and he stared at them intently for a moment. He took her hand and bowed over it as he swept his hat off.

"Alucard, one of Hellsing's many killers." Trying to get a rise out of her, while proving he had been eavesdropping the whole time.

She could feel the coolness of his skin even through the gloves that he was wearing. He surreptitiously felt the veins in her wrist, gauging her pulse. It was steady and unwavering.

* How disappointing. I'll have to try harder. * he smirked inwardly.

He had been hoping to give her a bit of a scare, perhaps even shock her with his commentary.

"Be nice Alucard." warned Integra, well aware of what her servant was up to. He had always liked giving new staff members near fatal heart attacks.

"Jane's going to put your new toy together. So behave yourself."

"And a good evening to you too Miss Hellsing." he said spitefully as he released Jane's hand.

He settled his hat back on before taking the other seat in front of Integra's desk. Reclining in it, he could see both women. Jane resumed her seat and once again looked around Integra's desk and said:

"Is there perhaps a piece of paper and a pen I could use?"

Before Integra could offer the requested items, one of Alucard's shadows sidled up to her with a fresh note book and pen.

"Um, thank you." she said, taking them from the wiggling blackness.

"Stop showing off." hissed his master.

In reply, Alucard lounged further into the chair and propped his feet on the corner of the desk, as

Jane opened the book and dated the first page, while muttering to herself.

"I feel like a psychiatrist, asking about your gun preference while we both know you mean your mother or the size of your..."

Clearing her throat, she looked up at him. Amusement danced in those maniacal red orbs and she realised that he had heard her. A snort from the other side of the desk confirmed that she had not been as quiet as she thought. She groaned out loud and said:

"So, as I'm sure you've gathered, there's no filter between mouth and brain."

"Oh you're going to be fun." Alucard purred, and Jane wasn't sure if she had just been complimented or a threatened.

"I didn't mean for you to get started tonight Jane." interrupted Integra. "You must be tired, and I'm sure you'd like to have some supper and some sleep."

"Yes, thank you Sir." she said, closing the book.

She was rising to leave when suddenly Alucard's voice rose from under his ridiculously large hat.

"In this age of bought soldiers and paid service, what keeps you here at Hellsing?"

"Loyalty." she said simply. "Not as employee to boss, but from family to family. I'm sure you know that my father made your first gun, but if you look deeper into the records – you'll find that my family have been arming the Hellsing family for generations. I wasn't about to let those year of service be besmirched by the narrow minded opinion of one little man."

"Interesting. I didn't know that." said Integra.

'Yes. There's a plot of land that we own where the original smithy still stands. I'll give you tour one day if you'd like."

"Perhaps. In the meanwhile, Walter is waiting in the hall to take you to your room. Good night Jane."

"Good night Sir. And, thank you for your faith in me."

She was nearly out the door when that resonant baritone stopped her.

"I never thanked you for your letter Miss Smith. It was most helpful, and very….fragrant."

Jane turned the colour of Alucard's coat and fled.

"Good night Miss Smith." he chuckled wickedly.

Integra watched the byplay and then shoved the massive boots off of her desk. They hit the ground with a thump and Alucard sat up with a grunt.

"Stop trying to get a rise out of her Alucard. I do believe that if you push her too hard, she'll shoot you."

"She's interesting." he drawled. "I like her."

"Good. But that's not why I called you here earlier."

"And what foul creature do you need me to take care of now?"

"Actually, I was hoping Seras could help me with this one, and maybe it would help her at the same time."

"Go on."

"Have you ever seen a kitten with a ball of string?'

Jane nearly knocked Walter over in her haste to leave the study. Righting herself quickly, she brushed at imaginary dust on her overall trying to hide the fact that she was flustered.

"I take it you met Alucard."

"Something like that."

"Don't let him frighten you, he cant harm you."

"I'm not scared of him. But is he always so….antagonistic?"

"You have no idea." he said with a long suffering sigh. "Come along."

Walter escorted her down the corridor to a guest suite where dinner was waiting along with a nice hot bath. He bid her good night and this time when he left, there was no sound of a key in the lock.

She spent the next ten minutes getting her hands to stop shaking and trying to figure out what had just happened. She hadn't lied when she had said to Walter that Alucard didn't scare her, but he sure as hell got under her skin.

Back in the study:

"You really have a nasty mind Master." said Alucard. "I like it."

"Good."

"Tonight?"

"Tomorrow, I think that we'll need more time to make disposal arrangements."

"And so tonight?"

"There's been no sighting of that Angel of Mercy in the area that we've been watching. Is there anywhere else that we should be looking?"

"No. It's possible that with us tracking down two of her creations, she's biding her time. Or maybe there just haven't been any more accidents."

"Probably the latter, although with this weather that could change." she said darkly, glancing up at the ceiling.

"In the meantime, is there anything else?"

"Not unless you feel like doing this paperwork." she grimaced. "Good night Alucard."

"Good evening Master."

He vanished out of the chair and reappeared in the basement outside of Seras' door. Not bothering to knock, he opened the door and strode in to find his fledgling toying with her glass of blood. He plucked it from her hands and drained it in a single swallow.

"You're going without until tomorrow night." he said flatly.

"Why? Is this punishment because I won't drink because if it is, its a weird way of going about it."

"No punishment." he said smoothly. "I just want you good and thirsty."

"Okay." she said slowly, still not understanding but if her master said starve, then she starved.

"We wont be going out tonight. So rest up."

Seras nodded, very confused about what was going on, but Alucard had already left the room.

He entered his own chamber and lit the candelabra with a negligent wave of his hand. Taking up residence in his massive chair, he enjoyed his first glass of wine. Then he drew out the dagger that he had used on the vampire in the park. Turning it over in his hands, he examined the blade and soon found what he was looking for. The makers mark was stamped onto the blade, worn away now by the march of time but clear enough for his eyes to pick it out. It was Jane's family crest.

***** (And time passes) *****

Jane spent an uneventful night in the guest suite, had a nice breakfast the following morning and was on the road back to Cardiff in one of Hellsing's private cars. She had a folder full of instructions, lies and authorisation letters from Sir Integra and although her new project thrilled her, she was not looking forward to telling her brother that he was out of a job.

Sir Integra spent the morning making quiet arrangements with Walter and Major Ferguson, who was back from a short leave. She felt no qualms about her orders, even though they pertained to the death of a man.

Evening came and Alucard was waiting impatiently by the car that was going to take him and Seras to the urban combat training facility. It was a large collection of empty buildings and streets that had been built on Hellsing land in order for the soldiers to practice hunting the undead in an urban setting. Very occasionally he had played the bad guy for them, but most often he let them hunt Seras or one of their own teammates.

This night however, there was a different kind of hunt going on.

"I'm here." Seras called as the ran into the courtyard. "Sorry I'm late, I didn't know if I needed my gun or not but then Walter saw me and told me to leave it behind."

Her master said nothing and stared down at her from behind those impenetrable glasses, so she couldn't tell if he was angry or not. She was about to start apologising again when the car door swung open and the imperious tones of her other master floated out.

"Get in Seras."

Climbing into the car, she took up the seat opposite Sir Integra. Alucard closed the door behind her and leaned down to speak through the window.

"I'll meet you there."

He vanished from sight as the vehicle began moving. Integra closed the window and lit a cigar, drawing deeply. They traveled in silence and smoke until Integra crushed out the remnants and asked:

"Do you enjoy working for Hellsing Seras?"

Taken off guard by the question, Seras hesitated for a moment while she thought about it.

*Do I enjoy this, really? Well it really beats the alternative. It's better than trying the get the guys on the force to take me seriously. No one calls me Kitten any more. And I have my master. *

Looking up she answered.

"I do. It's a learning curve but I do like it, really."

"And yet you wont give your best efforts to this organization that you claim to enjoy so much!"

The young vampires eyes widened at the reprimand.

"I do try..." she started hesitantly.

"Try isn't good enough. We don't have room for a half starved fledgling that tries." sneered Integra.

Seras said nothing and hunched in the corner, trying to hide the fact that she was ready to burst into tears. She didn't have any defense, everything she'd been accused of was true. She was half starved, weak and more of a liability than a help.

"Well, you can redeem yourself this evening."

She was so unnerved by the gravity in Integra's tone, she almost didn't have the courage to face her, but uncurled from the corner to look up and ask:

"How?"

"By accepting what you are. You chose this life, and now seize it, embrace it and feel everything that your master has promised you."

"What do I have to do?" she whispered.

By the time the car reached the training camp, Integra had explained what Seras was there for, and her heart was pounding. She couldn't decide if she was excited or terrified, so she settled for trying not to vomit. Exiting the vehicle, she saw that Alucard was waiting for them at the entrance gate – a large steel sliding door set in a solid concrete wall that contained the men when they worked within the buildings.

"I take it you know why you're here."

"Sir Integra told me. Is this really going to happen?"

"It is if you can stop being a coward."

Seras gritted her teeth and said nothing.

"I'll be watching from the observation deck, make me proud police girl." ordered her master as he started walking towards a flight of steel stairs leading up to the elevated platform.

"Yes master." she said firmly, determined not to fail, not again.

She was about to pass through the steel gate when Alucard looked down at her from the stairs and called:

"And Seras?"

She looked up at him, red eyes glimmering in the moonlight. He gave her a truly terrifying grin.

"Remember to play with your food."

And with that, he disappeared up the stairs, leaving her to pass through the gate. It rumbled closed behind her, locking into place with a resounding clang.

Seras stood in the shadows and sniffed the night air.

* You can do this. * she told herself. * You're allowed to do this, your supposed to do this. *

She walked slowly down the street, trying to open all her senses to the environment around her, seeking her prey. As she walked, the fear inside of her drained away and was replaced by a burgeoning sense of excitement. Adrenaline coursed through her as she realised she was a vampire stalking a single defenseless human. Her excitement built until it bordered on near arousal.

Stalking the streets, her heightened senses became aware of a heartbeat. Stopping, she closed her eyes and listened. Definitely a heartbeat, on the second floor. Remembering her masters advice, she crouched down and used her limited, but still beyond human, strength to leap onto the roof of the single story building next door. From there it was a jump onto the roof of her target building. She landed with a clatter of roof tiles and she could hear the heartbeat go from fast to frantic. She grinned and grasped the edge of the roof, leaning over so she could look through the open window.

"Boo!"

With a scream worthy of a beauty queen with a spider in her sash, Peter Wiggins shot out of the corner he was huddling in and caromed down the stairs and into the open.

"Ready or not, here I come." she called after him as he scuttled down an alley. Giving him a moment to get a little head start, she dropped to the street and stalked after him.

The hunt was on.

High above, Alucard and Integra stood side by side watching, silent. Then without taking his eyes of the little drama below, he asked:

"And the remains?"

"Walter will burn them along with his house in the early hours of the morning. There's no family. He's a smoker and it isn't too far a stretch to believe that he smokes in bed."

"You've thought of everything."

"Its my job to." she sighed. "It's always my job. This man had to die at my hand, whether I used a gun, a firing squad or a vampire. The method may vary but the order is always mine."

"And that is why of all the Hellsings I have served, you are the only one I respect."

Integra remained silent, surprised that her servant was so unusually forthcoming. Then she said wryly:

"I'll try to remember that when I have to lever your arse off my desk again."

He flashed his fangs in a wide grin and then gestured below.

"She's found him again."

Peter ran until he couldn't, and with his lungs on fire and his heart near to bursting, he stumbled down a set of basement steps and crouched against the door. He had tried to hide a few times and that wretched miniature vampire had sniffed him out, ousting him and making him run. He cast his eyes about frantically, looking for anything that could be pressed into service as a weapon. He didn't see the red eyes looking down at him from the window.

Seras wanted to leap down out the window, grab her prey and drag him kicking and screaming into the street but she held off, knowing now what her master had meant when he had told her she was weak. Still stronger than Peter, but not strong enough to keep running. Instead, she jumped out the window, landing just in front of the cringing man. It was time to end this, she had played enough and she was thirsty.

Peter could find no voice as the little blonde stepped up to him and seized his throat in her hand. He plucked ineffectually at the iron grip but she swatted his hands away with her free hand and then use it to push against his shoulder, forcing him to his knees.

"You were going to get my master killed." she hissed at him, leaning towards him.

He gurgled, fear robbing him of rational thought and speech and then his mind shattered into madness as he felt her fangs pierce the skin on his neck.

Seras marveled at how easily she broke through skin and then ecstasy swept away all thought as hot, rich blood pumped into her mouth. She swallowed as fast as she could, savoring the coppery sweetness, but some still leaked from the corners of her mouth. After a timeless moment, the flow slowed and she became more coherent. She could already feel how the blood invigorated her, giving new strength to her limbs, eradicating fatigue and sharpening her preternatural senses.

She could her the heartbeat slowing down, eventually stuttering to a halt. She let go before it stopped, instinctively not wanting to drink from a corpse, and not wanting to have a ghoulish Wiggins shambling around the training field.

She turned as her master materialized behind her. This time, she had felt him coming.

"So was that fun police girl?"

She looked at him with shining eyes, blissful wonder all over her face.

"It was glorious!" she exclaimed.

He handed her a handkerchief and pointed at her face.

"You may want to clean up a little before getting back into the car."

She scrubbed at her face and then dropped the soiled linen over the dead mans face. Then she looked at her master and said:

"I understand now what you've been trying to tell me. And I know that I never want to feel like the weak little creature that entered this place, ever again."

"Keep drinking Seras, and you never will."


	12. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Not mine, no money.

A/N: This was a BASTARD of a chapter to write and I hope that it goes down okay with you the reader.

Chapter 11

Jane had gotten the car to drop her off at her flat, where she sat for the better part of the morning going through the folder of documents that Walter had given her as she was leaving. Integra had made good on her threat to put Jane in charge of design and development, but she had gone one step further and added Wiggins' job to the mix as well. Now not only could she design a new gun, she could have it mass produced and put it into the hands of each and every Hellsing soldier. It was a dream job with a side order of logistical nightmares.

"For my sins indeed." she snorted.

There was also a short brief on what she should tell the rest of the factory heads regarding the now defunct Mr Wiggins, as well as an upgraded security clearance. It was this that she was looking forwards to using first, as it would give her access to full incident reports, not the sanitised versions that she usually got to see.

She picked up the phone and spent a while setting up a meeting with the rest of the factory heads for that afternoon, which would give her enough time to figure out what she was going to say to Joshua. She really didn't know how to tell him that she had taken his job and gotten him kicked out of munitions. His transfer orders where also in the folder, and it would fall to her to give them to him.

She grimaced and thought that with the sweet came the sour and she'd just better suck it up.

A knocking on her door shook her from her thoughts and she went to it and peered through the peephole.

"Shit!"

She opened the door to find a very relieved brother on her doorstep. Before she could say anything, he had stepped inside and was hugging her very tightly.

"I was worried! Are you okay? Are you in trouble? Did they hurt you? What's going on?"

Gasping for air, she jabbed him in the ribs, forcing him to let her go. She took as step back and looked up at him and said:

"I'm sorry you were worried. I'm okay. No, I'm not in trouble and no, they didn't hurt me."

"So what's that on your face then?"

"Nothing that I didn't bring on myself, and give back. Now leave off, I'm fine!"

Joshua heaved a sigh of relief and threw himself down on her settee and ran his hands through his hair. Deep shadows under his eyes testified to the sleepless night he had been through on her behalf and she felt another pang of guilt. Going into the kitchen, she called out:

"Let me make us a cuppa and I'll tell you everything. There's a lot of changes coming and I'd rather you heard them first."

In the recounting of the previous days events, she managed to neatly avoid the bruising on her jaw and the fate of Peter Wiggins, but there was one thing that that she couldn't avoid. Two cups of tea and half a packet of biscuits later, Jane finally managed to get around to the point of him being transferred. She handed him the dreaded envelope and watched him read the enclosed document. She kept her expression carefully neutral, not wanting to show fear – even to her twin.

He finished reading, folded the document back into its envelope and tossed it onto the table. Picking up his mug, he drank deeply and then slouched down on the sofa, his posture relaxed.

"That's the best news I've had all year." he said matter of factly.

Jane was startled. This was not the reaction she was expecting, and although she was glad he wasn't in a raging snit, she was worried that he was pretending to be glad so as to spare her feelings.

"Come again?"

"Jane, have you stopped to think about why I never really backed your campaign to get that gun checked?"

"Because you thought I was an endless worrywart?"

"You are a worrywart." he grinned, dodging the cushion that she hurled at his head. "But no, that's not the reason."

"Then why?"

"Because if you had gotten your way, I would have been responsible for re-designing that gun."

"And that's a problem how? Don't tell me you support that drivel of not having a vampire on the team?"

"No, that doesn't bother me. After all, dad told me about him when I was little so the thought of him around wasn't a really big thing for me."

"Dad told you about him?"

"A little bit, just enough to keep a little kid interested."

She was now very startled. She had assumed her father had met Alucard when he had first designed his gun, but she never knew that he had told Joshua about him. He'd certainly never told her.

"But why didn't he tell me?"

Josh snorted and said wryly,

"From what I heard, he's not the sort of thing that you tell little girls about."

She remembered her first encounter with him and her reaction to him and sniggered.

"No, he isn't."

"You've met him?"

"I have, and you've danced around my question long enough. Why would it have been a problem to re-design that gun?"

He ran his hand though his hair and then sighed again. He sat silent for a moment or two and when he finally spoke, his voice was so quiet, she had to lean closer to hear him.

"I wouldn't have been able to, because I can't design a gun."

She glared at him in utter astonishment and then snapped:

"Bollocks! You've been working there as long as I have. What have you been doing all this time then, playing with yourself?"

"No!" he protested, blushing at his sisters choice of words. "I can choose the best gun for the job from the range available, that I'm good at. But when it comes to the custom designing bit, well, they assumed that I could, being Dad's son and everything, and I never really told them different."

"You mean you flanneled your way into a position that you couldn't do!" she cried. "Josh, what if they had caught you out?"

"I never really thought that it would come to that! And if it had, well then there was alwa…." he trailed off and mumbled the rest.

"There was always what?" she asked coldly, very sure of what he was going to say.

"There was always you that I could ask." he admitted shamefacedly.

Jane put her head in her hands, not sure if she wanted to laugh, cry or mutilate her brother. She settled on rubbing her forehead hard, trying to dislodge the headache that had taken up residence since Josh had been talking, which she realised, he was still doing.

"What?"

"I said that I'm glad that you know the truth at last, because it helps take away the pressure."

"What pressure?"

"When we finished school and enlisted, Dad took me aside and told me a story about how in every generation of our family, the elder Smith had made a weapon for Hellsing that was special, exceptional even. He had made that pistol. Granddad made a handgun for Sir Arthur and our great granddad made a sword and dagger set. So he told me that it would be my duty this time around. And I tried Jane, I swear that I tried but I failed. I understand a gun, I know how it works but I just don't have that knack that Dad had, that you have."

By this time, his voice was thick with emotion and remorse. She understood exactly what he meant by pressure, their father had been very good at making sure that they understood what their family stood for and where their loyalties lay. But she had never suspected that her brother had been carrying that dreadful burden on his shoulders.

Anger at their father started pulsing in her chest and she ground her teeth as she remembered the night before she had left to go to basic training. Their argument had caused the neighbors to call the police.

She knew that her father had never really approved of her joining the military. He had urged her to get a post somewhere in Hellsing's administration department, and she had very colourfully told him where to put that idea. The conversation had gone swiftly downhill from there. They had patched it up shortly afterwards, and they had spent many a pleasant night in his workshop, pouring over sketches and comparing ideas. With those pleasant memories, her anger faded and was replaced by a sense of irony so deep it was painful. Her father had given the job to the wrong twin.

"All this trouble for the sake of three minutes." she muttered, shaking her head.

"I know." he said mournfully, "Why couldn't you have been your pushy self and come out first?"

She gave him an obscene gesture, to which he retaliated by throwing back the cushion she had thrown at him earlier. This signaled the start of a wrestling match that ended in a torn cushion cover, two broken cups and the rest of the biscuits being stomped into crumbs.

"There, feel better now?" panted Josh as he sat back on the settee. He was well aware of his sisters need to vent her temper in a physical way and a good romp was usually the safest thing. That or a few rounds of hand to hand combat when she was really pissed off.

"Yeah yeah." she groused, trying to push hair out of her face and climb off the floor at the same time.

She went into the kitchen and came back with a dustpan and brush which she thrust at Josh. He took it without protest and began to sweep up the debris. She stepped over to the mirror to wrestle with the unruly beast that was her hair.

"So now that we've gotten all of that over with," said Josh from the carpet. "Tell me, what she's like?"

"Who?"

"Sir Integra. You know, the head of Hellsing, the woman who's name is only mentioned in dark rooms and capital letters."

She rolled her eyes and then thought about the question.

Setting aside her mistaken thought that she was about to be shot, she had sensed a similarity between her and Sir Integra. Both of them had been taught from an early age where their loyalties should lie and both of them had had duty and honour drummed into them until it was a part of their very being.

She had no illusions that should she have come out on the wrong side of the Wiggins incident, Joshua would be picking out her casket. Sir Integra, she felt, had a spine on her and that was the way she liked it. She liked knowing where she stood with someone, it made it a little easier when she invariably put her foot in her mouth.

"She's taller than I thought." she called to Josh, as she finished pinning her hair back in place.

"Clot!" he snorted as he dumped out the dustpan. "So don't tell me then, I already know that you like her."

And he was right. All their lives, the twins had been able to sense each others feelings. Nothing remotely like the bond reported in the tabloid papers and pseudo science reports, but a bond all the same. Something unique to the two of them. That's why she didn't elaborate – he already knew the important stuff.

"And what about the other guy? Alucard?"

When no reply, obscene or otherwise was forthcoming, Josh stopped cleaning up and took a good look at his sister. She was standing at the bookshelf, with one of her old sketchbooks in her hands. He recognised the book – she had carted it around with her for the better part of her late teens, while she was working with their dad.

"So you finally get to build it." he said simply, stepping to her side.

"I do."

They both looked down at the rough drawings of a large black pistol. She had been drawing it for as long as she had been interested in guns, which in her case was a very long time. It had changed as her knowledge expanded but the essence had always stayed the same. Her dad had told her that it couldn't be made – no one could ever wield it.

"Damn thing has been haunting me for years." she said softly.

Abruptly she snapped the book closed, took it to her desk and put it on the pile with the rest of the papers that she was taking with her.

"I have a meeting with the Head of Departments." she said briskly, "But if you stick around, maybe we can go get some dinner later?"

Joshua nodded, not fooled by her sudden businesslike attitude. She always turned brusque if something touched a nerve.

"Dad should have known which one of us to give that job to." she said softly, shoving paperwork into a satchel while keeping her eyes averted. "I'm sorry that it had to come to this."

He shrugged, his heart lighter than it had been in ages. It hadn't come about the way he wanted, but he knew that at last, he and his sister were exactly where they needed to be.

"Hey, at least I go into the troops with my old rank." he grinned.

She already had the door open, but stopped and turned back to him.

"Well perhaps the good sergeant would be kind enough to vacuum the floor while I'm gone?"

"Get out of here you idiot."

Ripping off a sharp salute, she stepped through the door and was gone.


	13. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be.

Authors Note: Delays, delays, delays...what can I say, sometimes real life gets in the way.

Chapter 12

The workshop chief's office was a spacious and well lit room at the top of the stairs. It had four large windows looking out onto the grasslands surrounding the factory and it was wall to wall in a nice plush carpet. It also stank of stale cigarettes and fat man's sweat. Jane curled her lip in distaste as she surveyed what could be her office.

"Not a chance in hell." she said aloud to the leather covered desk.

Feeling more than hearing the footfalls on the metal stairs, she turned to see the two privates that she had chewed out a little more than a day ago. She had called them up here to do the heavy lifting.

"Alright you two, I want this office emptied, cleaned and painted by the end of next week."

"And the furniture Ma'am?" asked a lanky young man with the name of Murphy sewn onto a patch.

"Sell it and buy something more comfortable. This is going to be the new tea room."

He goggled at her and then the other one, private Simmons asked:

"But what about Mr Wiggins?"

"Mr Wiggins has decided to take early retirement."

Her tone did not invite any further inquiry, but these two weren't the sharpest and so Murphy cleared his throat and asked:

"Who's in charge then?"

She grinned at him in a way that made him feel positively uncomfortable.

"I am Mr Murphy."

She swept past them and made her way along the corridor to the meeting room, where all the department heads were waiting. She was on good terms with all of them, although some of her more creative ideas had caused Mr Clarke, the production budget manager to quietly leave his office if he saw her coming. Silver was expensive and she liked to use a lot of it.

"Good afternoon gentlemen." she said as she took her seat firmly at the head of the table. "Shall we get on with it then?"

She spent the better part of the next hour reassuring them that their jobs were secure and she wasn't going to make any departmental changes. She did however warn them that she would be working on Sir Integra's private commission and as such, her work hours would be flexible and unpredictable.

"Is it safe?" asked Mr Hall, head of the machine shop. "I mean you being alone with that….man."

She had always had a soft spot for the ginger haired giant that she pestered often about her designs. Trust him to worry about her. She grinned at him and said:

"I'll be perfectly fine. There's a whole plethora of delightful things in my workshop that I can use if things get a little out of hand."

"Speaking of which," interrupted Mr Nugent, head of metal reclamation. "Are you sure that you don't want Mr Wiggins' office?"

"Take a moment and think about what I do for fun Frank, and tell me again that I should work in a regular office."

He was silent for a moment and then said sheepishly.

"Quite."

"If that's all gentlemen, I think we leave it there and pick up again at the next monthly review."

The room emptied with a chorus of goodnights and congratulations and other such platitudes and she was soon left alone, sitting at the head of the table. With a groan she let her head fall forward until it rested on the smooth wood.

* That could have gone SO much better...* she thought to herself.

* But I suppose it could have gone worse, at least they didn't all hand in their notices.*

* But they could be composing them now while they drive home.*

* I'm talking to myself.*

"Bugger it!" she shouted out loud as she stood up.

She briskly made her way back to her workshop under the stairs and took a deep breath as she entered her familiar domain. This was where she belonged, not at a desk, not reading reams of paperwork. Here, with her explosives and bullets and now her beloved firearms. This was home.

Grabbing her keys, she resisted the temptation to sit at her draught table and was soon on her way back to her flat to pick up Joshua for dinner.

Dinner was a spicy affair at a local Thai restaurant. While they ate, the two siblings discussed what they were going to do with the flat that Joshua had. Both of them owned their property, an inheritance from their mother.

"It's not like I can commute," said Joshua, slurping up a noodle. "What with shifts and unpredictable calls to action."

"True." his sister nodded. "Why don't you let it out and use the money to rent a place in London."

"Have you seen the London rents?" he snorted. "Might as well just stay in the troop barracks."

"Hmm."

She prodded absently around her dish and then shrugged and said:

"Why don't I let my place out as well and we use the combined income to rent a two bedroom then?"

He looked at her in surprise.

"Your work is here though." he reminded her. "And I can't imagine that you can do it from anywhere else."

"No. But I can stay in the factory staff quarters during the week and come to London for weekends. A lot of the guys do it."

He thought about the proposal as he twirled the last of his noodles around his fork and then popped the whole lot in his mouth. It was definitely a workable solution, but it left only one question.

"So who's going to look for the flat then?" he asked.

"You of course, you know if I chose, we'd end up living in cellar somewhere just so I could build an indoor firing range."

They both burst out laughing and their evening whiled away in pleasant food and conversation, while elsewhere Peter Wiggins met a very sticky end.

Later that night, a car headed back to Hellsing castle, filled with silence and cigar smoke, carrying two woman. One coming to terms with her actions and one reveling in her power.

Seras was practically twitching with all the sensations that her super senses were feeding her. The feel of the velvety leather under her fingers, the sound of the tiny crackle from the cigar as Sir Integra inhaled, the scent of the rolled tobacco leaves, the lingering taste of iron on her tongue and even an unnameable sense that allowed her to feel the steady heartbeat coming from the woman opposite her. For a moment, she locked eyes with her other master and then leaned back in her seat, closed her eyes and let her senses take over all rational thought.

Sir Integra watched as Seras surrendered to the feelings running through her and was satisfied that Alucard's whimsy was no longer a liability. She was very aware that she shared her car with a well fed vampire and was completely comfortable, even to the point of being slightly fond of her.

* What does that say about me? * she wondered to herself. * Since I cannot stand their kind. *

She felt a distant pang of amusement and realised that Alucard had picked up her thoughts. Looking out the window, she realised that they were turning into the castle driveway. The car rolled smoothly to a stop and a doorman opened the door so she could step out. Just before she exited the vehicle, she looked back over her should and said:

"Well done Seras."

She was gone before Seras could say anything, and before she could move, the large frame of her master was filling the door frame and smirking.

"It's such a beautiful night, I thought we'd go for a walk."

And then he too was gone, leaving Seras to scramble out the car in time to see him towering over Integra, speaking in a tone too low even for her to catch. She waited by the gate, confident that he would join her when he was ready.

Alucard's ruby eyes met icy blue and for a long moment he looked into the eyes of the woman who had brought him back to life, as it were. He would never demean her by asking if she was okay, he knew her better that that. Instead he asked a more neutral question:

"Are you satisfied Master?"

"I am."

"And Walter has everything in hand with the disposal?"

"He does."

"Do you need me for anything else this evening?"

"I do not."

He took his hat off and gave a deep bow before her, respect showing in every line of his long frame.

"Good evening my master."

Integra inclined her head and gave a ghost of a smile.

"Good evening Alucard."

She turned and walked through the main door that was being held open for her, conscious of his eyes on her every step, right up until the door closed. She strode to her office and took her seat behind her desk. Resting her elbows on its surface, she interlaced her fingers and rested her chin on them, closed her eyes and said a prayer for the soul of the man she had watched die. Drawing a deep and steady breath, she opened her eyes and reached for the nearest stack of paperwork and got started.

Alucard waited until he felt his master settle and then, satisfied, he strolled over to his fledgling and said to her:

"Come along."

Meanwhile, across town on the outskirts of London.

The garden flat was well away from the main house which is why it probably took so long for someone to notice the fire. By the time the fire department had arrived, the roof had fallen in and the entire structure was engulfed in flame. Any hope of finding survivors had past and there was nothing for them to do other than contain the conflagration and let it burn itself out. The commotion had drawn a small crowd which looked on and commiserated with the owners on how tragic it was for poor Peter. And at the back of the crowd, the flames glinted off of a monocle.


	14. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be.

Author's notes: Now that the year end madness is over I can get back to this. Any and all feedback is appreciated.

Chapter 13

Integra scanned the reports that had come in over the past week. Despite some suspicious activity here and there, there was still no concrete sign of their wayward vampire. She made notes to have the other incidents investigated and then sat with her elbow on the table and her chin in her hand.

The incidents of people going missing were on the rise, but those were the hardest to track.

* How does one tell the difference between someone being eaten by a vampire or just walking out on their dead end job or rubbish life? * she mused.

She glanced at the night sky and gave a thought as to what her resident vampires were up to and then decided that she'd rather not know. She shook her at her thoughts and carried on plowing through the never-ending piles of paperwork

Meanwhile on the Hellsing grounds:

Seras walked alongside her master, her full strength allowing her to keep up without the annoying trotting pace that she usually had to effect. He was silent but she could feel him through their bond, and she knew that he was well pleased with her performance in the training facility.

They reached a small clearing and she cleared her throat, not sure how to ask what was on her mind.

"Yes police girl?" he sounded amused.

"When I drank from Mr Wiggins, I started to know things about him. Memories and such, why is that?"

"When drinking from a living being, we vampires absorb knowledge along with the blood. Its part of the same power that allows us to form mental bonds with others."

"So why don't we get knowledge from the blood packs?"

"Because the blood must be living, or just a moment after death. Anything longer than that and the knowledge dissipates along with the energy of life."

They kept walking and she fell into silence as she processed this information.

When they reached the top of a small hill, he stopped and turned to her and said:

"Ready to try something new?"

"Okay."

"Run."

For moment she stared at him, and then asked:

"What, just run?"

"Yes. Run, as fast and as far as you can."

"Okay..." she said dubiously, not understanding how this could be new, but willing to obey her master.

She set off at her fastest sprint and soon realised that the motion was effortless. She ran faster and faster and soon the landscape was nothing more than a blur around her. Coming to a stop, she looked behind her and with a shock, saw that she had run for miles in mere seconds. Even though it was dark, she could clearly see the hill that she had been standing on with her master, but she couldn't see him now.

A prickle on the back of her neck alerted her to his sudden appearance behind her and she dodged to one side as she detected him swinging a fist her way.

"Very good police girl!" he said, his voice coloured with eagerness. "Let's see how well you can defend yourself."

He launched at her with a series of punches and she managed to either doge or block all but the last one. His fist landed solidly in her midsection but it didn't leave her in a crumpled gasping pile on the floor like it usually did. This time the blow only staggered her slightly, and she recovered in time to start swinging with a few punches on her own. He dodged easily enough but even she could tell that her performance was faster than it had ever been. She began to enjoy herself as they sparred.

Back and forth they attacked and defended, delivering punches and kicks with inhuman speed and strength. Eventually Seras managed to land a good solid punch to her master's jaw, sending his hat sailing into the night sky. She held felt the skin of his lip split against the sharp fangs and for a moment, hesitated in the mistaken belief that she had hurt him.

Alucard licked at the small wound, tasted his own blood and grinned, turning into a truly terrifying sight of gleaming white fangs and lambent eyes. He was about to teach his little fledgling a most important lesson indeed.

Seras stepped back from him when she saw that she had actually injured her master and was about to lower her fists and apologise, when she took another look at his face. It a took a mere second to come to the sickening realisation that she was going to regret her hesitation, and then her self preservation took over and she ran away as fast as she could.

Which of course wasn't nearly fast enough.

As she sped over the dark grass, she dared a look behind her to see if he was gaining and so failed to see him come up alongside her. A long arm shot out and pushed her off balance, sending her stumbling to the ground. Lying in tangle of limbs, she looked up as Alucard loomed over her, his face in shadow and his glasses gleaming in the dim glow of the stars.

"He who hesitates is lost." he intoned darkly, reaching for her.

She scrambled to her feet and tried to assume a combat ready stance but he was just too fast. Brushing away her futile blows, he seized both her wrists in his large hands, twisted them up and outwards and stamped on her left ankle. It snapped with a dry crunch and she was screamed as waves of pain washed over her. He had injured her before during training, dislocating a shoulder and breaking a finger, but he had never hurt her this badly. In a grey haze, she was dimly aware that he had dropped her and was talking to her. Seras forced herself to ignore the fire from her ankle and listen to what he was saying.

"Never hesitate when you've struck a blow. That's when you press the advantage and keep hitting until the fight is over." he shouted at her.

"Y..yes Master." she half gasped, half sobbed.

He knelt down on one knee next to her and reached inside his coat. She flinched momentarily and then was embarrassed as he handed her a fresh blood pack.

"Drink and you'll see the wonders of your nature."

She took the proffered pack and downed the contents without tasting. As she drank she became aware that the pain in her ankle had diminished and that she was able to move the foot slightly. She finished her drink and then, not wanting to litter, slipped the empty bag into her pocket. She looked up to see her master holding out his hand.

"Come, stand up."

"I don't know..." she started to say but his impatient snarl had her hurriedly trying to gain her feet, using his outstretched hand as a support point.

It wasn't as hard as she thought it was going to be, and then she was standing with very little pain at all. Gingerly bending the foot, she could feel that the break had already knitted itself together. She looked up at Alucard with wonder on her face.

"Told you." he smirked.

"I never thought..." she trailed off as the full implications of what had just happened dawned on her.

Her bones had knitted in mere minutes, she could run faster than a car and she was stronger than any person she had ever known. She was truly no longer human, and she was beginning to like it.

For the first time since that fateful night in Cheddar village, she was grateful that she had decided to go with Alucard. She looked at her master with adoration in her eyes and could find no words to express herself – but she didn't need to.

He could feel the emotions welling up inside her, all the wonder, relief and gratitude. He opened himself a little to allow her to feel his pride and satisfaction with her progress. He captured her gaze and for a moment they stood there on a grassy hill, in the black of a moonless night, looking at each other. Seras felt like she was drowning in those crystalline red eyes and she knew that no matter how long she lived, she would never forget this night, the moment when she knew that she was what she was meant to be.

A faint grey smudge on the eastern horizon signaled the coming dawn and Alucard realised that they had been out a lot longer than he had intended. He broke his gaze and said to his awestruck fledgling:

"Dawn is on its way, we'd better be getting back."

"Oh." she said, startled. "Of course Master."

She was about to ask if there was enough time to run back when a pool of shadows bloomed in front of her. Alucard held out his hand to her and said:

"I thought we'd take a shortcut, but it'll be easier if I carry you."

"O...kay." she said slowly, not sure where this was coming from, but she stepped into his space and allowed him to pick her up. She looked up to see him grinning down at her.

"This is the part where you close your eyes."

She blushed as she remembered the last time he had said that to her, but this time she trustingly closed her eyes and felt him take a few steps in the direction of where she assumed the shadows were.

There was a brief moment of icy cold and strange sounds and then she was being lowered to the ground, and so she opened her eyes to see that they were standing outside of her door.

She was about to speak when Alucard turned to walk away, casting a low:

"Good night Seras." over his shoulder as he went.

"Good night Master." she said, watching him go.

Then she let herself into her room, and headed straight to the shower. It wasn't long before she was warmly tucked up in her sealed bed, and for the first time, it felt like home.

Alucard spent a while in his chair, thinking about the events of the past night. He was pleased that Integra's plan had succeeded where his had failed.

"Trust my master to make it right." he smirked as he readied himself for sleep.

He had thrown his coat over his chair when he realised that his hat was still lying in the grass out on the castle grounds. With a muttered grumble, he cast a pool of shadows and the hat tumbled from the ceiling to fall at his feet. He picked it up and hung it on one of the chairs posts and then climbed into his coffin. Closing the lid, he allowed himself to sink into the darkness and rest.

Integra paused for a moment at her desk, and then breathed a small sigh of contentment as she felt her servant return to the castle. Now she could go and seek her bed as well.


	15. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I own nothing and I apologise for any geographical errors as I do not live in the UK and have to rely on maps for my information. I have used names of real places and institutions, without permission and no insult or harm is intended.

Author's notes: Long time no see patient reader. I'm not going to explain, I'm not going to apologise.

I'm going to carry on with the story.

Chapter 14

Night had fallen across England, and at Kings Cross station, Jane and Joshua shared one last laugh before she caught the train back to Cardiff.

Alucard was teaching Seras a painfully vital lesson in combat, while Sir Integra steadily marched her way through the never-ending pile of paperwork that was on her desk, bolstered by tea and cigars.

It being the month of October, the "sighting" of vampires was painfully high, and all of them so far had turned out to be some pillock getting into the Halloween thing a little too early.

Walter was drawing up the next months roster for blood donors, as all of the Hellsing soldiers and staff donated, apart from Integra of course. It was a vital source of nourishment for the resident vampires, as it was not always possible to obtain a supply from the local hospitals, and since Seras had joined the ranks, the required volume had increased.

And far away in the little village of Taverham, a storm was brewing.

On the village outskirts, there was a condemned warehouse that was awaiting demolition. Despite all the signage that had been placed to warn the public away, local children insisted on exploring the building on the pretext that it was haunted. And with the storm overhead adding atmosphere to the October night, it was only a matter of time before a group of teenagers forced their way inside to try and find a little excitement.

They were about to get more than they bargained for.

Deep in the basement of the warehouse, he waited. He could hear them walking around upstairs, the old wooden floor booming under the footsteps that they took no pains to hide. The sounds faded as they made their way upstairs. This was the normal pattern, they came in, went upstairs and then stood at the entrance to the basement steps, trying to convince themselves that there was nothing worth seeing down there.

It was always the same, they would huddle together, using their cellphones as torches, maybe one of them trying to record some footage that they could post to prove that they had really been there. Slipping in the fetid mud that coated the floor, one of them would ask:

"Oi, did you hear that?"

"No John, I didn't hear a thing, and neither did you." came Alice's sharp reply.

"Shut it you two," snapped George, "I'm trying to record this."

"Guys, it really stinks down here." complained John.

"There's most likely been some spillage from the sewers due to the rain. I mean its not like there's been any maintenance to the building." explained George impassively.

"And I thought being in the shit was a figure of speech." retorted Alice.

The three teenagers picked their way through the ankle deep slime that was on the basement floor, Alice holding up her phone as a torch, while John used his as a camera. George was a few feet in front of the couple, holding out an extremely sensitive microphone. They were hoping to prove the local legend that the warehouse was haunted but so far they had turned up nothing.

As he heard them move further into the room, he silently moved to avoid the glow from the light. He moved quietly, but the water betrayed his movement none the less.

"There is definitely something moving down here!" said George excitedly. "The mic is picking up all sorts of things."

"It's probably a rat or some stray animal." grumbled Alice.

"I dunno but there's ripples in the water." said John. "Georgie boy's right, something moved."

"I think we should leave."

"Alice, we have to get proof." insisted John.

"No, no. I'm done, I'm leaving." she said sharply and turned around and started sloshing back to the stairwell. He shrank back out of the light that she held and let her pass by unscathed.

With an exasperated sigh, John called to George:

"Just give us a minute."

"Go and fix it, I'll be fine here."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, go make sure that Alice is okay. She's probably right you know, its most likely nothing more than a big rat."

John grinned and turned to follow his girlfriend out of the basement. He had just reached the stairs when he noticed a gleaming in the far corner. He quickly pointed his camera at it, and swore as the light showed nothing but sluggishly moving water. Shaking his head, he mounted the stairs and was soon standing outside in the downpour, trying to convince Alice to come back inside at least where it was dry.

"No John!" she shrieked. "I'm not going back in there, and I don't care what you say, there's nothing good to be found there. Please, please call George out and lets just go home."

"Okay, I'll ask John to come out, but please come inside so you're not standing in the rain."

She shook her head and backed away from his outstretched hand.

"I won't go back in there. I wont!"

"Fine!" shouted John, his patience at an end. "Stay here and get sick. I'm going to get George."

He turned his back and stomped back into the building, so angry that he didn't bother turning round when Alice tentatively called out his name. Intent on getting back to George, he didn't hear the soft sound of flesh striking flesh in the hissing rain. And he never saw Alice's kicking feet rise into the air as she was dragged up the side of the warehouse and out of sight.

"George!" he shouted as he started down the stairs. "George, it's over. Time to go."

He continued descending and nearly slipped as he neared the bottom.

"Shit! George, where are you?"

There was no answer and John was staring to get a little anxious when a small voice called from the darkness.

"I'm here John. You have to come and see this."

"Where? We have to go, Alice wont come back in and I don't want to leave her standing outside in the rain."

"Here, in the far left corner."

Lifting his light higher, John could make out George's back in the corner and impatiently sloshed over to him.

"Okay, what's so important?" he demanded.

"Look." whispered George, pointing down.

They both looked down at a what at first seemed to be a pile of sticks but soon it became obvious that they were staring at a pile of human bones. Left to decompose in the water, the bodies had sloughed away and left the hard framework of themselves behind.

"Bloody hell!" breathed George. "I think we're going to have to call the police."

"Whatever mate, lets just get out of here, get Alice and go home. We can figure the rest out after."

The two boys turned and began making their way to the exit but before they reached it, he struck.

The bodies were found two days later.

Integra received a report and a copy of the medical examiners findings. All three had been exsanguinated, and decapitated. In light of the murders, the village council had hurriedly demolished the warehouse, but it was too little too late for the parents of Alice, George and John.

"If this is a vampire, then they didn't want ghouls running around." she said as she read the report.

"What else could it have been?" asked Walter, who was collecting the days dispatches.

"I hope nothing. But lets send a team out anyway, let them see if there's evidence of further nests."

"Of course, I'll arrange it immediately."

The investigative team found nothing.

He had already left Taverham the night of the storm, and was heading in a southern direction. As he traveled, he murmured ceaselessly to himself.

"They were not worth saving, they were beyond redemption. They were nothing but food. I need food, need to keep strong. I have to go home, there's lots of them to save at home. I couldn't save them then, but I can save them now. I have to get home."

He traveled through the nights, it wasn't far and he was well fed and full of vigor. It only took an hour before he entered the town of Norwich and headed up a street as familiar to him as his own face. And then he was there, standing in front of a stately red brick building, covered in ivy.

Headlights from a passing car illuminated the sign:

Welcome to Hellesdon Hospital.

"Home."


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Despite my many wishes I still own nothing here but my own imaginings. The lawyers will have to be contented with that.

Chapter Fifteen:

Jane was eager to get started on her special project but common sense won out and she spent the next week organising the factory and making sure that things would run smoothly during the day while she was sleeping – since she was going to have to work the night shift for a while.

Eventually things were they way she wanted and she sent word to the mansion that she was ready for the first consultation. Sleep eluded her and so when Integra arrived with her undead entourage, Jane was at the range, trying to see if she could increase the firing rate on a mounted machine gun.

She was bent over with her face buried in the inner workings when she heard footsteps behind her, despite her strict instructions that no-one was to come onto the range just in case she had a misfire of the ammunition.

"Umm, Ma'am." came the quavery voice of private Murphy.

Rolling her eyes and gritting her teeth, she turned around to find the private with his eyes as wide as they could go and a face a white as Wensleydale cheese. Trying not to shoot him she gritted out:

"Yes private?"

"I think you have visitors." he practically whispered. "And I think they're vampires."

Looking over his shoulder she could see Sir Integra standing at the door to the range, flanked on either side by Alucard and Seras. Grateful that they were out of earshot, she hissed at Murphy:

"You're right, they're vampires and you see that tall one – if you ever counter my safety instructions again, I will feed you to him, drop by drop. Now get off my range!"

Murphy scuttled off, giving Alucard a wide berth. Jane walked over to the small party and offered her hand. Integra shook it with a smirk and asked:

"Problems?"

"Already sorted Ma'am" she answered briskly. "Now, shall we step into my office?"

She led the way to her workshop, silently hoping that no one had heard her. The door swung smoothly open on its pivot hinge and she indicated for them to enter the room. As Integra went in, she noted the thickness of the walls and the locking mechanism on the door – more suited to a vault than a door.

Showing them to the chairs that Murphy and Simmons had carted in there only that morning, she pulled up a notebook and uncapped her pen.

"Shall we start with your rules Sir Integra?" she asked.

"Rules?" came the slightly startled reply.

"Are there limits to the firepower that I'm going to create or shall I just let my imagination run wild?"

Integra mused over the question, absently noting that Jane was slightly more assertive than she had been at the mansion. She assumed correctly that it was due to her being on home ground. Without thinking, she reached into her coat for her cigar case but had no sooner brought it into view when Jane spoke sharply.

"There's no smoking here Sir Integra, especially not in this room."

"Quite." the blond woman answered, while shoving the case back in her pocket.

"In fact," Jane continued in the same tone. "Let's start with my rules."

Fixing her eyes on Alucard, she stood up and started to pace.

"Just about every single thing in this room is used in one fashion or another in the eradication of your kind. You will not touch anything here nor will you touch anything on this property without me handing it to you."

She turned her gaze onto Seras, who blushed without reason.

"You don't walk through walls do you?"

"N, no" she stammered, not expecting the question.

"Good. Then this is mainly for you." Jane turned back to Alucard. "If that door is closed and the red light outside is on, don't come in here – either through the door or the wall. It means I can't hear you coming and I'm probably working with something that will, if dropped, obliterate me and quite possibly you."

The three of them stared at her and she realised what she had said and exactly who she was speaking to. Inwardly cursing, she stared back – daring them to counter her, hoping that no-one did.

"Goo advice Miss Smith." drawled Sir Integra, rising from her seat. "Clearly you have things under control here and so don't need me to hinder the works."

"Shall I show you out?"

"No, you get started here. I'll get that little man to take me to the car – if I can find him." Integra smirked.

Jane picked up the internal phone and said curtly:

"Simmons, get Murphy to the door right sharpish."

She offered Sir Integra a salute and said:

"We won't let you down Sir."

"No," she said slowly. "I don't think you will."

She sauntered out of the room and then stopped at the door and turned back.

"By the way, I've arranged a car for Seras and Alucard to come and go as you need them. And remember, if he gets out of hand – just shoot him. Ordinary lead will slow him down."

Jane stood blinking for a moment, not quite sure if Integra meant Murphy or Alucard, and then came to the conclusion that she meant Alucard.

Taking a deep breath she turned to the two immortals waiting for her and said:

"Seras, shall we start with you?"

"Me?"

"Sir Integra asked me to remake your rifle."

"Rifle?" she laughed, "It's more like a cannon."

"No dear, it's not even close, but when I'm done with it, it will be. Come over here."

Standing up, Seras allowed herself to be drawn to one corner of the room where a large shape was covered by tarpaulin. She watched as Jane pulled it off and revealed a large twin barreled gun that looked like it was supposed to to mounted to a vehicle.

"That's far to big to hold." she said.

"Of course it is right now, it's usually mounted on one of Hellsing's Westland Lynx helicopters. I bullied Major Ferguson into giving me one."

Jane said this so matter-of-factly that Seras couldn't for a moment comprehend that Jane had bullied Major Ferguson. No one bullied him, he bullied everyone else, except her master. And Sir Integra. And she realised that Jane was speaking again but she had missed it.

"Sorry, I missed that." she confessed sheepishly.

"I said I'll take a measurement of your hands and use it to design a trigger mechanism for manual use and then I'll take it from there and soon you'll have a real cannon. Incidentally, how much can you carry while running?"

Before Seras could answer, Alucard had unfolded himself from his seat and said loudly:

"As much as she needs to."

Assuming that he was bored and feeling left out, Jane turned to him and smiled.

"Good, then I won't hold back on the ammunition capacity."

She made her way over to a workbench and quickly mixed up a batch of dental latex and poured it into two containers.

"Seras, take your gloves off and put your hands into these please. It'll be easier for me to work with a cast of your hands and then you wont have to keep coming here for measurements."

Seras did as requested and pressed her hands into the containers.

"Eeew." she groaned. "That's disgusting."

Alucard sniggered until Jane said:

"Keep laughing, it's your turn next."

"I'm afraid that wont be possible." he said bluntly.

"Afraid of a little goo?"

"My gloves don't come off."

He held them out to her and Jane could see the symbols on them and remembered that Joshua had told her about the seals and how he was enslaved to the Hellsing family. Slightly embarrassed that she had made a mistake, she sighed and said:

"That means we'll have to take lots of physical measurements."

"What's the matter – scared of holding my hand?" he smirked.

Jane gave him the finger and turned to check if the latex around Seras' hands had set. She prayed that her face didn't look as red as it felt. With a hard tug and a pop, the draculina's hands were loose and she stood rubbing them clean as Jane busied herself mixing plaster and pouring it into the casts.

After a few general measurements, she scribbled in her book for a moment and then rummaged in her draw and brought out a set of verniers.

"Your turn." she nodded at Alucard.

He had been slouching in on the workbench, but straightened up when she spoke to him. Turning to Seras, he said:

"It's going to take a while for those castings to set. You take the car back to the mansion and I'll follow when we're done here."

"But Master," she began and stopped when he bared his fangs at her. "Of course."

Mumbling a quick good-night to Jane, she left the room, leaving her master and the gunsmith to their verbal sparring. Both of them watched her leave and then Jane indicated a tall stool on one side of the bench. Alucard sat and extended both hands, never letting his eyes leave Jane's face.

She took the larger of the verniers and busied herself with taking measurements of his hands, turning them this way and that as she needed. She pretended that she couldn't feel the coolness of his skin through his gloves, she pretended that she couldn't feel his eyes on her.

She had been working for a good hour, peering at the tiny numbers and taking them down in her book so when he spoke, she pretended that she didn't jump.

"I can eat him if you like."

Meeting his eyes, she stared uncomprehending for a second and then realised that he must have heard her threatening Murphy. Rolling her eyes, she answered without thinking:

"You wouldn't want to, he'd probably give you indigestion."

A rich chuckle answered her remark and she put down her tools and rubbed her forehead.

"I'm sorry. There's no filter and it's been a long night."

"Shall I take my leave then?"

She looked at her watch and realised that more time had gone by than she had thought. She nodded.

"I think so. I've got a good start on this so I can work for a few days and then I'll most likely have some scale drawings for you to look at."

"Then I shall bid you good morning." he said, inclining his head.

"Good morning."

Jane watched as he walked straight through the wall and faded from sight, doing exactly the thing that she had told him not to do.

* Although it was going out and not coming in.* she thought.

She quickly tidied away her tools and pushed the door closed. A quick rummage in a draw produced a blanket and soon she was fast asleep on the sofa, her note book resting on her chest.


End file.
